Box Score The Master's University women's volleyball team picked up their 10th win of the season with a 25-13, 25-20, 25-23 sweep of the Park University-Gilbert Buccaneers Wednesday in The MacArthur Center.
It is the first time the Lady Mustangs (16-6, 10-2) have reached double-digit wins in conference since 2019 when the team went 12-6.
In the first set, TMU gradually built up a 3- to 4-point lead until a 6-2 burst in the middle of the set gave The Master's a 16-9 lead. After a couple of Park points, TMU went on a 6-0 run to open up a 12-point lead before closing out the set by 12.
The second set started all Buccaneers as the Bucs jumped out to a 6-2 lead. But the Lady Mustangs went on an 8-0 run behind strong serving from
Ruby Duncan, which included a pair of aces, to go up 10-6. But this set probed to be a set of runs as Park-Gilbert then scored five of the next six points to take a 12-11 lead. After the two teams swapped the lead, it was TMU once again grabbing an 8-0 run to break open the set and go up 23-15. PUG threatened with another 5-0 run, but The Master's got the final two points they needed to claim set two.
The third set started even better for Park-Gilbert than the second, with the Bucs going up 7-1. But once again it was a momentum run by TMU, this time 8-1 including seven points in a row, to grab a 9-8 lead. Again the teams traded leads before The Master's got up by two 20-18. PUG got the next three points to take a 1-point lead, but the Lady Mustangs closed it out with five of the final seven points to win the third set 25-23 and take the match.
Duncan, Kinsley Kollman and Bella Amet each led TMU with eight kills each, with
Kiera Maynard adding six.
Timberlie Miller had 21 assists in the first two sets, giving way to
Kate Wagner in the third who added 10 more assists.
Sierra Hale led the team with three aces and 18 digs.
"I am so excited about the future of TMU volleyball," said TMU Head Coach Annett Davis. "Kinsley Kollman is continuing to play at a high level. And Bella was tough to stop as well. It was fun to get to see so many of our future stars get a chance to play tonight and they did not disappoint."
The win Wednesday sets up a showdown between the two top teams in the GSAC on Friday. Benedictine Mesa, a winner Wednesday night as well, will bring their 10-1 conference record into The MacArthur Center this Friday afternoon to take on the 10-2 Lady Mustangs. At stake is the right to host the conference tournament that begins in two weeks. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.
