Both
Nolan Flexen and
Bryce Jones had career highs as The Master's defeated NCAA Division 1Â Concordia University of Irvine 3-1 Friday night in Irvine, Calif.
Flexen pounded 26 kills with Jones providing 47Â assists in the 19-25, 25-21, 28-26, 25-19 win that moves the team's record to 4-1.
"It was a great team win tonight over a competitive CUI team," said Head Coach
Jared Goldberg. "Nolan had another dominant game. As teams continue to focus in on him more, he has done a great job of continuing to score.
Ethan Egger also did a great job keeping our passing in system and leading our back row."
The Mustangs, the No. 1-ranked team in this week's NAIA Top-15 Poll, hit .328, with 60 kills and only 15 errors. CUI hit .173 with 45 kills and 23 errors.
After falling behind early and only able to tie the first set a couple times, CUI pulled away late to claim the first set. The Master's then opened up a 9-4 lead in the second that they increased to six points before settling for the four-point win.
The pivotal moment came in the third set. With the Mustangs trailing 17-12, TMU scored six of the next seven points to tie the set at 18-18. The two teams traded blows until it was 26-26, when an attech errory by the Golden Eagles was followed by a
Will Avera kill to seal the set in The Master's favor.
"Those types of situations will go a long way for our guys looking forward to the rest of the season," Goldberg said of that come-from-behind set win.
The final set saw the Mustangs jump out to a 6-1 lead, never letting Concordia get closer than two points throughout the set, before taking the six-point win and the match.
Flexen hit .548 with just three errors.
Diego Perez added nine kills and
Will Avera followed with eight. Both Perez and
Brett Norkus led TMU with six blocks, and Avera added five.
The Master's will be back home on Saturday as they host No. 5 Benedictine-Mesa in The MacArthur Center. First serve isat 1 p.m. PT. If you can't make it in person, go to GoMustangs.com/watch to watch the livestream.
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