After five hard-fought sets, the San Diego Christian Hawks beat The Master’s College Lady Mustangs 3-2 Saturday night at Bross Court.

The loss brings TMC’s 2014 record to 9-7 and 1-3 in GSAC play.

“San Diego Christian truly wanted this match and played us with full heart and ability,” commented Lady Mustang head coach Allan Vince. “We battled them, but they just kept the momentum and wanted it more. I’m proud with how our girls played, made changes, and followed the game plan. We’re going to keep rolling, and keep building this program.”

The Hawks flew out to a strong start in the first set, never once letting the Lady Mustangs tie or take the lead. After a commanding performance, SDCC finished the frame 25-19 when Lauren Phillips delivered a decisive kill against the Lady Mustangs.

Despite San Diego’s momentum going strong in the second set, TMC navigated through a series of tie scores and finally took the lead when Ashley Kuhlman placed a service ace in the San Diego back court. From there, an awakened offense catapulted the Lady Mustangs to a 25-17 second-set victory. Notably, the Lady Mustang’s held San Diego Christian’s to a .000 attack percentage in the second set.

After the break, the Lady Mustangs continued their momentum from the previous set by maintaining a strong presence in the third set. With the score tied at 13-13, TMC enjoyed a 5-0 scoring streak, backed by multiple San Diego Christian attack errors. With the match at 18-13 in favor of the Lady Mustangs, TMC fought to maintain their lead, finally posting a 25-18 victory highlighted by stellar kills from Aubrey Bekendam (Orland, CA), Chloe DeAngelis (Scottsdale, AZ), and Ashley Kuhlman.

However, the Hawks adjusted to TMC’s game plan in the fourth set, forcing the Lady Mustangs to catch up to their ongoing lead for almost the entirety of the set. With the score at 19-24, DeAngelis spearheaded a three-point run, before an Olivia Gwinn (Santa Clarita, CA) service error ended the match at 25-22.

The evening’s fifth frame remained close until SDCC’s Alexa Lambert broke a 6-6 score tied, sparking an 8-4 run for the Hawks. And while the Lady Mustangs managed to chop the Hawk’s lead down to two points, an Ashley Simpson kill gave the Hawk’s the 15-12 victory in set five.

With the victory, San Diego Christian’s 2014 record improves to 5-5, and 3-1 in GSAC play.

Statistically, DeAngelis led TMC’s scoring efforts by posting 14 kills, Bekendam tallied 30 assists, Kuhlman delivered three service aces, and Sydney Hamilton (Newhall, CA) led TMC’s defense with 18 digs. TMC’s overall attack percentage of .185 barely eclipsed SDCC’s hitting percentage of.184.

Now, the Lady Mustangs will take a break from conference play as the squad hosts La Sierra Wednesday night at Bross Court. The 7:00 PM match will mark the third time that the teams have played each other this season.

Statistically, DeAngelis led TMC’s scoring efforts by posting 14 kills, Bekendam tallied 30 assists, Kuhlman delivered three service aces, and Sydney Hamilton (Newhall, CA) led TMC’s defense with 18 digs. TMC’s overall attack percentage of .185 barely eclipsed SDCC’s hitting percentage of.184.

Now, the Lady Mustangs will take a break from conference play as the squad hosts La Sierra Wednesday night at Bross Court. The 7:00 PM match will mark the third time that the teams have played each other this season.