Game Recap By Mason Nesbitt, TMU Sports Information Director

The most obvious question looming over a team that’s been one of the NAIA’s best this season was how it would respond to its first loss in more than a month.

The answer: Ask Allan.

“I think we’ve had great intensity and attitude in the gym,” coach Allan Vince said of The Master’s University women’s volleyball team’s state of mind in the days following last weekend’s loss to Westmont College.

Still, Vince raised the stakes Friday night in Fullerton, reminding his club that Darling Pavilion will also host next month’s Golden State Athletic Conference tournament, where Master’s hopes to earn its first national tournament appearance since 2013.

“Don’t let anything distract you from your goal,” Vince said.

No. 11 TMU responded with a 3-0 win over Hope International, by scores of 25-18, 25-22 and 25-19.

Jane Cisar led the Mustangs (23-4, 12-1 GSAC) with 11 kills, Madi Fay followed with nine and Regan Tate and Chloe Emory each had seven.

Kayla Sims tallied 16 assists and Sarah Park had 14. McKenna Hafner provided 15 digs.

It was the Mustangs’ eighth sweep in GSAC play, this one inching the club closer to what would be the first regular-season conference title in program history.

Master’s leads Westmont College by two matches with five to go.

It was a loss to the Warriors — a 3-0 setback in Santa Barbara last weekend, TMU’s first defeat since Sept. 1 — that might ultimately help TMU move forward.

It forced the Mustangs to evaluate their priorities.

“We realize that we can’t base our season around wins and losses,” Vince said. “We have to get back to what makes us come into the gym everyday, (to) what motivates us.”

And that is?

“It’s about achieving a goal and individually serving each other,” Vince said. “That ministry aspect is greater than the wins and losses. We can learn from this, of course, but I don’t believe it took any wind out of our sails.”

The Royals would agree.

The Mustangs beat Hope (13-12, 6-7) for the second time in the last 10 days, rolling in sets one and three and playing clutch in set two.

Trailing 21-18 in the second frame, Master’s won seven of the final eight points.

The final three points went like this:

Cisar sent the ball to the floor on Hope’s side.

Then she teamed with Fay for a block.

Emory ended the set with a kill.

Here’s the box score.