By Mason Nesbitt, TMU Sports Information Director

There’s a sense in which this week’s No. 14 ranking, the program’s highest since 2013, validates last season’s rebuild for The Master’s University women’s volleyball team.

“I believe that every rebuilding year is meant for strengthening your mental toughness,” said TMU coach Allan Vince. “You can’t coach the drive to win. It has to manifest itself through negative and positive circumstances. The athlete needs to know what it’s going to take to win and that’s both physical and mental toughness.”

The Mustangs showed their mettle Saturday night in a sweep of then-No. 7 Westmont College. The Warriors fell to No. 11 in Tuesday’s poll, while Master’s rose 11 spots from No. 25, its best ranking since 2013 when it reached No. 6 in the poll. Vince saw this kind of a turnaround coming even as the team went 11-17 a year ago.

“I feel like as far has how we did last year, we knew what kind of potential we had,” Vince said. “It was just a rebuilding year. The satisfaction that comes from this national ranking is that it validates each of these athletes and the potential they possess to be great.”

Elsewhere, TMU women’s soccer moved up two spots to No. 22 in Tuesday’s poll, while men’s soccer received votes for the fourth straight poll.

The Polls
Women’s volleyball

Women’s soccer

Men’s soccer