As a team, the No. 1-ranked Mustangs (14-0, 4-0) hit .407 with a 53-35 advantage in kills, 10-2 difference in blocks and one additional ace over the Spirit (7-6).
But the match didn’t come without a bit of drama as TMU lost the first set, something it hasn’t done this season on the home court.
“It was really just our passing broke down,” said TMU Head Coach Jared Goldberg. “And we’re going to have some of those days, so it’s good to be able to learn a lesson without taking a loss.”
Middle Blocker Ezra Vlad took it another step and emphasized how the Mustangs weren’t mentally in the match from the start.
“I think we came out a little cold and they came out ready to play,” Vlad said. “Not everything is going to go our way if we’re not out there ready to go from the first point.”
The Master’s started the second set flat as well, falling behind 3-1 at the start. But then the engine roared to life as the Mustangs went on a 9-3 run to open up a 10-6 lead. TMU increased the pressure as the set unfolded, working up to a comfortable 23-14 advantage before kills by Van Groningen and Vlad sealed the set for TMU.
The next two sets were similar in that the Mustangs hitting and blocking began to surge and the team’s serving continued to get the Spirit out of system.
“It’s a good testament to how our team is,” Vlad said. “We’re resilient, we have a deep roster and Coach Goldberg is not unwilling to use it. So I feel that as a team, rallying after that first set and realizing that not everything is going to come to us easy is really important.”
Van Groningen hit .447 en route to his 24 kills. Isaac Seltzer added 10 and Max McCullough had nine. Bryce Jones dealt 40 assists over the four sets, with Vlad leading the defense with six blocks.
The Master’s will be back at home on Thursday, March 20 when it hosts the Hope International Royals at 7 p.m. in The MacArthur Center.
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
The William S Hart Pony Baseball Complex will be the site of a fun, nostalgic and free photo shoot on Sunday, May 4, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Local high school baseball players from the graduating class of 2025 are encouraged to attend in their high school home uniforms and pose for group photos.
For the second year in a row, The Master's University men's volleyball team will be the No. 1 seed at the NAIA National Championships. The competition will run April 29 to May 3 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
College of the Canyons track and field compiled some early points and saw a slew of strong performances during the opening meet of the two-day Western State Conference Prelims & Championships, hosted by Ventura College April 18.
The prestigious Bryan Clay Invitational yielded records upon records for The Master's University track and field teams April 16-18. Multiple school records went down including the women's 5000m, men's shot put and the men's 800m.
For just the third time in 23 matches, The Master's University men's volleyball team went five sets in a match. And for the third time in 23 matches, the team won, only this time it was for the GSAC Tournament Championship.
The William S Hart Pony Baseball Complex will be the site of a fun, nostalgic and free photo shoot on Sunday, May 4, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Local high school baseball players from the graduating class of 2025 are encouraged to attend in their high school home uniforms and pose for group photos.
The Summer Academic Program for Elementary School Students is accepting applications for summer 2025. The five-week program, divided into different weekly themes, gives elementary students in grades one through five, an opportunity to be in a creative learning environment
The city of Santa Clarita Film Office has released the list of 11 productions filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, April 21 to Saturday, April 26.
For the second year in a row, The Master's University men's volleyball team will be the No. 1 seed at the NAIA National Championships. The competition will run April 29 to May 3 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Time is running out for tickets and sponsorships for this year's Silver Spur celebration, which will honor Marlee Lauffer with the 2025 Silver Spur Community Service Award in recognition of her longtime support of College of the Canyons and her philanthropic contributions to the Santa Clarita Valley.
Ticketing will be closing April 24 for the 2025 Santa Clarita Valley Man & Woman of the Year Gala Event, which will be held on Friday, May 2. Seating is limited and tickets have sold out for the last two years, so buy now to guarantee your seat at the table.
College of the Canyons track and field compiled some early points and saw a slew of strong performances during the opening meet of the two-day Western State Conference Prelims & Championships, hosted by Ventura College April 18.
SCVTV will debut a new public access series of video fitness shorts, "Training Tuesdays with M" on Tuesday, April 22. The shorts, two-to-four-minute videos, will air between regular programming at 8:24 a.m., 1:25 p.m., 4:24 p.m. and 4:55 p.m.
As gardening season blooms across California, officials with the California Department of Food and Agriculture are urging residents to take action to prevent the introduction of invasive fruit flies and other pests, which can threaten backyard gardens and the state’s robust agricultural landscape.
Legacy Christian Academy, will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a special celebration dinner and fundraiser, 5:30-9 p.m. Friday, April 25 at the Hyatt Regency Valencia.
Activated Events, the premier independent live events company, has announced the lineup for the return of Boots In The Park to Santa Clarita, noon- 10 p.m. Saturday, May 10 at Central Park.
The prestigious Bryan Clay Invitational yielded records upon records for The Master's University track and field teams April 16-18. Multiple school records went down including the women's 5000m, men's shot put and the men's 800m.
For just the third time in 23 matches, The Master's University men's volleyball team went five sets in a match. And for the third time in 23 matches, the team won, only this time it was for the GSAC Tournament Championship.
The Master's University men's and women's golf teams completed the final round of the GSAC Championship Tournament at Antelope Hills Golf Course North Wednesday afternoon, April 16.
Businesses defined as food generators are invited to an Edible Food Recovery Networking event Friday, April 25, from 8:30-10 a.m. at the Canyon Country Jo Anne Darcy Library, 18601 Soledad Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, 91351, CA.
College of the Canyons softball concluded its season sweep of L.A. Valley College by taking a 9-2 road victory over the Monarchs on Thursday, April 17.
Tweet This
Facebook
Digg This
Bookmark
Stumble
RSS
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
0 Comments
You can be the first one to leave a comment.