Lady Mustangs advance to GSAC final with sweep

In the GSAC Championship tournament semifinal, The Master's University women's volleyball team took down the Life Pacific Warriors in straight sets (25-19, 25-18, 25-18) on Wednesday in The MacArthur Center.

McKenna Brady had a season-high 13 kills to propel the Lady Mustangs past the Warriors.

LPU came out hot, taking an early 5-1 advantage and silencing a near-capacity crowd in The MacArthur Center. TMU was able to regroup and used a 5-0 run to take a 18-15 lead off a kill from McKenna Brady. The set remained tight but the Lady Mustangs scored six of the last seven points to take the opening frame. 

TMU kept their foot on the pedal entering the second set, expanding their lead to 15-8 and 19-12. LPU tried to respond with a 4-0 run of their own but back-to-back errors crushed any hopes of a Warrior comeback. The Lady Mustangs forced the Warriors into 12 errors in the second set.

"I was proud of how we defended and how we passed the ball," TMU Head Coach McKenna Hafner said. "It made it possible for our middles to be as effective as they were."

The third set looked to be a close one, with TMU narrowly holding a 2-point lead for the majority of the set. Life Pacific tied the game at 15-15, looking to extend their season to a fourth set. But a 6-0 TMU run was the difference-maker, with the Lady Mustangs again forcing the Warriors into four errors during that stretch. The Master's were able to take the final set in 25-18. 

"We found a different way to win tonight which is exciting," Coach Hafner said. "Kate Wagner played a really good game as well and ran the offense well."

Krista Brady had nine kills and Kate Wagner totaled 34 assists. The Lady Mustangs continued to be active on defense, limiting LPU to a .079 hitting percentage, while outpacing them with a hitting percentage of .164. 

TMU advances to the GSAC final for the second-straight year, looking to add a GSAC tournament title to their 2025 GSAC regular season title. TMU will face OUAZ, whom they have beaten twice, with both matches being 5-set thrillers. The GSAC final will be on Saturday in The MacArthur Center at 1 p.m.