TMC Volleyball (14-2, 2-1 GSAC) continues their successful 2012 campaign as the Lady Mustangs bested conference rival  Vanguard University 3-2 (25-18, 21-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-11) in Saturday night’s volleyball road match.

Sam Dougherty (Madera, CA) led the Mustangs with 22 kills, 21 digs, and a hitting percentage of .150. Tori Callihan (Simi Valley, CA) claimed 18 kills, while Jenna Kapuscinski (Sylmar, CA) tacked on 20 defensive digs.

Set one featured nine tied scores and seven lead changes and eventually concluded with a score of 25-18 as Jenna Kapuscinski ended the game with a kill. Kapuscinski’s decisive kill was one of three showcasing the Mustang’s senior middle blocker in the first set.

Game two was tight early and featured 11 ties before the Lions began to operate on all cylinders.  Vanguard took control with two Charlotte Heerlyn kills to widen the gap at 23-21. After an attack error by the Mustangs, Vanguard’s Heerlyn put the match away with another kill at 25-23.

TMC answered back in set three and fought hard to secure a 25-21 victory. Set three included seven ties and two lead changes. Of the squad’s 13 kills, TMC’s Sam Dougherty contributed six to help the Mustangs take a 2-1 lead.

The evening’s fourth set belonged to Vanguard early, as only one lead change occurred in the Lion’s 25-20 victory. Vanguard also went on two 5-0 runs and one 4-0 run to force the evening’s fifth and final set.

The fifth and final set saw the Mustangs capitalize on multiple Vanguard mistakes. The Lions jumped out to an early 3-1 lead, but the Mustangs used a string of well-placed kills to pull even at 5-5. TMC caught up when a Vanguard attack error tied the game at 8-8. Eager to head home with another win, the Mustangs went on a 7-3 run and secured the game, set, and match at 15-11.

As a team, the Mustangs had 68 kills, 88 digs, and finished the night with collective .218 hitting percentage.

As the scheduled 2012 season is more than halfway over, the Lady Mustangs look to their next challenge when #5 Westmont visits The Master’s College campus on Tuesday, September 25th, for a 7:00 PM showdown.