For the first time since 2018, The Master's women's volleyball team has won the GSAC Championship Tournament, this time defeating the Benedictine Mesa Redhawks 21-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-18 Saturday afternoon in The MacArthur Center.
The Lady Mustangs (20-6) struggled in the first set and fell behind by four points twice in the second set, before rallying to win the second set and coming from even farther behind in the third to grab the momentum.
"Very thankful to the Lord for this victory," TMU Head Coach Annett Davis said. "The girls didn't win pretty but they played hard. They are fighters. They keep confirming that."
The pivotal moment way very well have come in the third set. With the match tied 1-1, the Redhawks went on a 7-0 run to jump out to a 12-5 lead. Both teams traded several scores with BenU taking a 16-11 lead. But behind a kill from
Ruby Duncan and a pair of aces by
Grace Colburn, The Master's scored five in a row to tie it at 16-16.
But Benedictine scored five of the next seven points to command a 21-18Â lead. The teams traded points, with the Redhawks taking it to double-set point at 24-22.
That's when Duncan took over the set and the match. The 3-time All-GSAC performer recorded four straight kills to not only bring the Lady Mustangs back but to give them the set win to go up 2-1 in the match.
"I was just trying to do my best to put my team in the best situation possible," Duncan said. "I think it's definitely a team effort and I think that everyone showed up wanting to lock in and grind and play their hardest and pursue excellence for the Lord. I think obviously winning that third set was a huge momentum shift for us and brought us energy and the confidence we needed going into the fourth set."
That fourth set then belonged to The Master's as they jumped out to a 5-2 lead and never looked back, leading by as much as eight before taking the 25-18 set win and the championship.
Duncan finished with a game-high 24 kills, one shy of her career high, and added three aces. Colburn tied her season high of five aces in the match and also powered another 16 kills.
Kate Wagner led TMU with 35 assists with
Timberlie Miller adding another 14, and Libero
Sierra Hale had a season-high 27 digs.
The Master's will now wait to hear their fate on Monday at 10 a.m. when the NAIA announces the 48 teams that will compete for the national championship. There is a chance TMU will host that match next Saturday in The MacArthur Center.
"We still have goals to attain so we will keep pressing forward," Davis said. "Lord willing."
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