It’s amazing what a little motivation can do.

Ten days ago, The Master’s University volleyball team was handed a five-set loss from conference foe William Jessup University in Rocklin.

Four days later, the Lady Mustangs faced another setback when non-conference opponent La Sierra University posted a five-set victory over TMU on Bross Court.

After rebounding with a pair of three-set conference wins against San Diego Christian College and Arizona Christian University, the Lady Mustangs entered Tuesday’s match against No. 13 Biola University motivated to make a statement against the NAIA perennial powerhouse, and prove that the last 10 days may have actually been a blessing in disguise.

After two hours and thirty minutes of hard-fought volleyball in front of a wild crowd at Bross Court, the Lady Mustangs’ motivation paid off as TMU outlasted Biola in a five-set (25-20, 19-25, 23-25, 25-18, 16-14) thriller.

Tuesday’s win improved TMU’s record to 11-5 and 4-1 in GSAC play.

“The leadership from our seniors deserves full credit tonight,” commented third-year TMU volleyball head coach Allan Vince. “Aubrey Pyburn led our offensive strike with precision and passion. Emily Clark led our defense with composure and perseverance. Allison Child had an answer all night on the right side. Junior’s Morgan Koch and Maryah Richberg came through with huge blocks and kills when we needed it most. Strong setting and great choices from Kayla Sims complimented the entire team. This was a team effort to win. ALL contributed, and I am so proud of these ladies.”

Statistically, Sims posted a match-high 43 assists, Pyburn paced all competitors with 20 kills, and Clark tallied 22 digs. Koch claimed eight blocks while Richberg notched two.

Collectively, TMU tallied 66 digs, 54 kills, 52 assists, 11 total team blocks, and a .231 attack percentage.

Notably, Tuesday’s historic win over Biola also marked Vince’s 50th victory as head coach of the Lady Mustangs. Since taking over the program in 2014, Vince has a collective win-loss record of 50-27.

Motivated more than ever to show the NAIA that they belong among the nation’s top 25 teams, the Lady Mustangs look to take the momentum from Tuesday’s victory into Saturday’s match against Vanguard University (5-11, 2-1 GSAC). First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. in Costa Mesa.