In the first of three matches on consecutive nights in Arizona, The Master’s men’s volleyball team defeated Benedictine-Mesa in three sets 27-25, 28-26, 25-19.

The Mustangs (13-2, 2-1) had an advantage in kills (46-35), total attacks (99-75) and service aces (12-4).

“We found a way to serve tough and finish sets,” said TMU Head Coach Jared Goldberg. “It certainly wasn’t our cleanest match of the year, but it’s big to be able to pull those off as well. The first two sets we were able to win by a safety, and those sets can certainly go either way.”

In the first set, BenU jumped out to a 12-6 lead. But that’s when the Mustangs settled down, going on an 11-3 run to take a 17-15 advantage. After trading points, BenU fought back and tied it at 22-22. Each team had set points, but it was TMU that prevailed 27-25.

The second set was a tight battle from the start. No team had more than a 2-point lead, but after the set was tied 17-17, BenU went on a 4-1 run to jump up 21-18. But TMU won the next three points to tie it at 21-21. After the score went to 26-26, Isaac Seltzer registered a kill and Patrick Paragas served an ace for the set win.

The third set saw The Master’s open up a 7-4 lead, only to see BenU go on a 9-2 run to go up 12-9. That woke up the Mustangs, closing out the set on a 16-7 advantage to win the set 25-19 and take the match.

Will Avera led the Mustangs with 14 kills and three total blocks. Braden Van Groningen had 12 kills and Mason Mullins had eight. Patrick Paragas dished 36 assists and also added five service aces.