On a career night for
Nolan Flexen,
Isaac Seltzer and
Matthew Hamm, The Master's University men's volleyball team defeated the two-time defending NAIA National Champion Grand View (IA) Vikings in four sets Tuesday in The MacArthur Center.
Flexen finished with 27 kills, one more than his previous career high he set against Menlo on March 4. Seltzer tied his career high with 13 kills as setter Hamm topped his previous best with 41 assists
"We were really good offensively," said TMU Head Coach
Jared Goldberg. "
Matthew Hamm did a great job getting Nolan the sets he needs.
The Master's (10-4, 4-3
GSAC) dominated the first set in near perfect fashion, winning it 25-13. The Mustangs hit .769 in the set, collecting 10 kills against no errors.
But the Vikings turned the table in the second set,
springboarding off a 12-12 tie to create a four-point cushion they road to a 25-23 set win and tie the match 1-1.
The Master's took an early 7-3 lead in the third set and seemed to be able to keep the Vikings at bay by three or four points. TMU led 23-20, only to see Grand View get three straight to tie it. Both teams grabbed frail leads and had set point, but it was the Mustangs who clinched the set 28-26 on a Nolan
Flexen kill.
The fourth set was a carbon copy of the third, with The Master's grabbing a four-point lead and seeming to ride it. Again the Vikings came back and tied it at 23-23, only to see a Seltzer kill and a Brett
Norkus block give The Master's the 25-23 win and the match.
"Part of it is digging in and focussing at the right times," Goldberg said. "We let our foot off the gas, but I was really proud of the way our guys finished."
The Mustangs finished hitting .400, which is slightly down from their NAIA-leading season average of .418. They had more kills than Grand View (57-50), but were closer on aces (8-7) and blocks (5-6).
One other piece of history was made Tuesday night as well. Bayron Valdez of Grand View recorded the fastest serve ever recorded in The MacArthur Center – 76 mph.
The Master's will be back in The MacArthur Center Wednesday night as they host the No. 8 William Penn (IA) Statesmen, a team they defeated on Jan 28 in three sets. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. and can be watched at www.GoMustangs.com/watch.
