FULLERTON, Calif. -- The Master's men's volleyball team took to the road Saturday and came away with a 3-set victory, 25-19, 25-16, 25-22, over the Hope International Royals in Fullerton, Calif.
The Mustangs (17-2, 6-1), still on a high after knocking off No. 1 Vanguard Friday night for the first time in the regular season, hit .375 with 36 kills against just six hitting errors in 80 total attacks.
"Both our offense and defense were consistent all day," said TMU Head Coach
Jared Goldberg. "Hope did a good job playing scrappy on defense, but our offensive pressure kept coming."
With the Royals leading 5-4 in the first set, TMU went on a 6-1 run to take a 10-6 lead. HIU fought back, re-taking the lead 16-15, only to see the Mustangs grab hold of the momentum and close out the set on a 10-3 run for the 6-point win.
The Master's jumped out quickly in the second set, going up 10-4. Hope could get no closer than five points before the Mustangs took seven of the final nine points to with by nine.
After the third set went back-and-forth between a tie and a 1-point lead, TMU again broke it open in the middle of the set to take a commanding lead. And despite the Royals getting to within one on four separate occasions late in the set, The Master's was able to secure the 3-point set victory and take the match.
Will Avera led the Mustangs with eight kills and four blocks. Both
Diego Perez and
Mason Mullins added seven kills each, with setter
Patrick Paragas getting 31 assists for the match.
The Master's will have nearly two weeks off before heading to Malibu on April 5 to take on the Pepperdine Waves. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. that Friday.
