Lady Mustangs Get Second GSAC Win

After opening the season with nine consecutive road matches, the Lady Mustangs women's volleyball team won their home opener, defeating Menlo 3-1 in front of a rowdy MacArthur Center.

The first two sets were tight and back-and-forth, with Master's (6-4 overall, 2-2 GSAC) taking the first set 25-23 before Menlo grabbed the second 25-23. It was the third set when Master's started to feed off the home-crowd energy, pulling away to take the next two sets 25-17, 25-15.

"Our team was aggressive on offense," said Head Coach Annett Davis. "We were taking hard swings on the ball. So no matter who was hitting, they were aggressively trying to put the ball away."

Faith Tarver led the team with 17 kills followed by Ruby Duncan's 11 and Jessi Swenning's eight. But it may have been the blocks that pumped up the crowd and the Lady Mustangs the most. Master's had 11 total blocks compared to the Oaks two, with both Breanna Brooks and Emily Clark getting involved in six blocks each.

"Our block was pretty solid," Davis said. "Emily Clark was very intimidating. It was scary... for them.

"Our student section definitely showed up," Davis continued. "For other teams coming into this gym, it feels like they (the crowd) are our seventh man. Our girls get very excited when they have a big crowd cheering for them."

After dropping the first two GSAC matches of the season, Master's has now won their last two. Coach Davis says the team is creating their own momentum, and perhaps the nine games on the road has helped bring that together.

"The last two matches we have played there is a different level of belief they have for themselves," Davis said. "The trust they have for each other is showing on the court. Nine road matches to open the season has really brought this team together. You have all this extra time to spend with each other, which definitely helped for them to get this belief they have in themselves."

Master's is right back on the MacArthur Center Court on Saturday as they host the William Jessup Warriors in another GSAC contest. The match is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.