Three different players had double-digit kill totals as The Master’s University’s women’s volleyball team defeated the Hope International University Royals 25-23, 26-28, 27-25, 25-18 Friday, Oct. 18 in Fullerton.

Ruby Duncan led the way with 17 kills, followed by Kinsley Kollman’s 13 and Bella Amet’s 10.

As a team, the Lady Mustangs (14-5, 8-1) hit .170, below their season average of .235. The Royals had more kills (51-49), but TMU led in blocks (10-6) and aces (12-11).

“We battled tonight,” said Head Coach Annett Davis. “It wasn’t our best performance, but we kept fighting.”

The first set saw HIU come out showing strength, jumping to an 8-4 lead. But TMU scored eight of the next 10 points to go up by two, only to see the Royals go on a 7-1 run to go back up by four at 17-13. The Lady Mustangs went on 2-1 bursts, tying the score at 20-20, 21-21 and 22-22, scoring three of the final four points thanks to kills from Kollman and a set-winner from Duncan to get the win.

The second set started out the same, with Hope jumping out to a four-point lead and maintaining a lead until the midpoint of the set. TMU went on a 7-2 run to take a one-point lead 16-15 and force an HIU timeout. The Royals then scored four of the next five to go up 19-17, only to see TMU go on a 6-1 run to go up 23-20. But Hope battled back, tying the score and forcing a back-and-forth between both teams before the Royals closed it out with the 28-26 set win.

The third set proved another battle with the score never more than a three-point lead for either team. But at 25-25, Duncan came out firing with a pair of kills that elevated the Lady Mustangs to the 27-25 win and a 2-1 set lead.

But that momentum was not carried into the fourth set, as once again Hope jumped out to an early lead 5-0. After a TMU timeout, the Lady Mustangs got to work, going on a 9-2 run to take the lead 9-7. Now with momentum back on their shoulders, the team extended the lead to three pints, then four points, before finally breaking out a 6-2 run to finish the match and win the set by seven.

Timberlie Miller finished with 40 assists while Amet led the team with five blocks and Duncan fired four service aces.

The Master’s will travel to Surprise, Ariz. to take on the OUAZ Spirit on Friday, Oct. 25 at 6:00 p.m., followed the next day with a match against Arizona Christian at 1:00 p.m. in Glendale, Ariz.

For more information visit gomustangs.com.