FULLERTON – No. 18-ranked The Master's hit .409 in a 25-16, 25-16, 25-13 victory over Hope International on Saturday at Darling Pavilion, taking over sole possession of first place in the GSAC women's volleyball standings.
The Mustangs hit .395 in set one, .500 in set two and .342 in set three to finish with 51 kills and just six errors in 110 attempts. They improved to 14-7 overall and 10-1 in conference play.
The Royals, which had entered the contest on a three-match winning streak, fell to 8-11 overall and 6-4 in the GSAC. HIU is fourth in the conference standings.
Kinsley Kollmann led the Mustangs with a match-high 17 kills on .517 hitting, adding 12 digs for a double-double.
The Royals received 10 kills from Manaia Mamea and seven from Lole Mamea as the team hit .119 for the match.
Rita Nua had 20 assists and Kaylani Moncada collected a match-best 18 digs for the Royals.
TMU held a tight 5-4 lead in set one, but flourished through a 9-3 run to grab a seven-point advantage. The Mustangs spread the ball around to five different hitters for kills during that run. The Royals could get no closer than six points the rest of the way, and the Mustangs closed out the set on a Isabella Amet kill and Piper Susank ace.
The Royals built an 11-9 lead in set two thanks to four kills from Manaia Mamea, two from Lole Mamea and two Moncada service aces.
But the Mustangs responded with an 8-0 burst, aided by three Krista Brady kills. Manaia Mamea cut the HIU deficit to 17-12 with a kill, but Krista Brady tacked on two more kills – totaling seven in the set – as the Mustangs held a commanding 21-12 lead. McKenna Brady added three late kills, including the set clincher for the 25-16 triumph.
HIU stayed in contention in set three during the early going, trailing just 6-5 following a Lole Mamea slam. But the Mustangs reeled off 10 straight points to open up an insurmountable 16-5 advantage. TMU rolled to the 25-13 victory.
The Royals continue their four-match homestand as Benedictine Mesa visits Darling Pavilion on Thursday for a 6:00 p.m. contest.
