The Master's University men's volleyball team defeated St. Xavier in four sets 25-15, 19-25, 25-22, 25-17 in a rematch of last season's title game Thursday in The MacArthur Center.
Isaac Seltzer had 17 kills to lead the way as
Cooper Saelzler added 10 and
Trace Oswald had nine.
TMU battled with St. Xavier early in the first set as the score remained close through the midway point of the frame. But multiple 3-0 runs by the Mustangs opened the lead up to as many as eight. Another 3-0 Mustang run gave them their first set win of the season.
The second set remained close as well as the game was tied at 10-10. But Cougar service aces and errors by TMU allowed St. Xavier to move ahead, building a five point advantage. The Mustangs tried to close the gap with kills from Seltzer but the Cougars narrowed the score at 1-1.Â
The third set also was a competitive one, with 11 lead changes. The largest lead TMU got was three points at 10-7, but St. Xavier closed down the gap at every opportunity. With The Master's clinging to a one-point lead in the end of the set, Oswald's kill and a St. Xavier error put TMU on the brink of starting the season 1-0.Â
The Master's started the fourth set with four straight points and never looked back. With Seltzer having six kills and two aces during the frame, TMU never trailed in the final set and closed out the win.Â
"That game could've gone either way," TMU Head Coach
Jared Goldberg said. "That's a good team that returns a whole lot from last year but I'm excited that we were able to get the win at home."
Matthew Hamm had 37 assists and
Preston Schmidt had 15 digs from his libero position.
TMU will play next against LIU Friday in The MacArthur Center.
