Will Avera served up an ace to clinch the fourth set as No. 5 The Master's men's volleyball team opened up their season with a four-set win over No. 8 Saint Xavier (IL) Cougars Thursday night in Chicago, Ill.
The match was part of a season-opening tournament hosted by Saint Xavier in Chicago that is featuring several of the countries best NAIA teams.
The Mustangs took the first two sets 25-21, 26-24, but the Cougars fought back and controlled the third to get the 25-22 win.
That set up a dramatic fourth set in which SXU held a slim two- to three-point lead until TMU rattled off four straight to take a 20-19 advantage. Both teams traded blows, with The Master's getting five match points, only to have Saint Xavier come back and have five set points. But after a Cougars hitting error made the score 34-33, Avera went back to collect his second ace of the match and win it for the Mustangs.
"It was a very good test to open up the season," said TMU Head Coach
Jared Goldberg. "Both teams were sharp offensively and it came down to the serve and pass game. It was great to see the team fight back in both the second and fourth sets."
Sophomore
Isaac Seltzer led The Master's with 14 kills, followed by
Cole Oliver with 13 and
Mason Mullins adding 10.
Patrick Paragas, the transfer from NCAA Division I UC Santa Barbara, opened his season with 44 assists, while Avera led the team with three blocks.
The Master's will next face No. 6 Grand View (IA) on Friday with the match scheduled to start at 2 p.m. PT.
