ROCKLIN, Calif. – The #16 Lady Mustangs wrapped up the 2012 William Jessup tournament with force on Saturday, September 8, as TMC took two three-set victories over Menlo College and Daemen College (NY).

In the first game of the day against the Menlo College, TMC faced a formidable opponent as the Mustangs fought hard against the Oaks in three close games (25-23, 25-20, 25-20).

Sam Dougherty (Madera, CA) led the Mustangs with 13 kills.  Tori Callihan (Simi Valley, CA) followed with nine, Rachel Taylor (Sun Valley, CA) and Ashley Newton (Henderson, NV) had seven kills each, and Stacey Jones (Scottsdale, AZ) added six. Newton led the team with a .500 hitting percentage.  Mustang sophomore setter Alyssa Gergins (Woodland Hills, CA) tallied a game-high 35 assists, and Rebecca Peluffo (La Crescenta, CA) recorded 17 defensive digs.

TMC battled throughout the first set, and finally reached a score of 25-23. Set one showcased five ties and an unanswered 8-0 lead by TMC.  The Mustangs hit .244 in the second set and held the Oaks to 0.77 for a 25-20 win. Set three concluded with a 25-20 win for TMC and consisted of 15 kills on part of the Mustangs. Collectively, The Master’s College out-hit Menlo .393 to .185 in the third and final set.

Coach Blanken’s Mustangs hit .290 on the game, while Menlo came in at .163. TMC out blocked the Oaks 4-2. Alyssa Gergins recorded three service errors to pace The Master’s College.

The Master’s College volleyball team took down Daemen College Saturday afternoon, sweeping the Wildcats 3-0.

After jumping out to a quick first set victory (25-17), TMC had a battle on their hands in the second and third game. Set two remained close as the Lady Mustangs maintained a four-to-six point lead for the remainder of the match. The Mustangs went on to win 25-20 with a decisive kill by Ashley Newton. Saturday’s match-clinching set belonged to the Mustangs from the beginning as the third and final set saw TMC notched nine kills and a collective 0.188 hitting percentage. A kill by Torri Callihan off an assist from Alyssa Gergins put the Mustangs up 25-22 and secured the game and match.

Coach Blanken’s squad was led by Sam Dougherty who had 14 kills. Tori Callihan and Ashely Newton had eight kills each. Also highlighting the box score was Rebecca Peluffo and Alyssa Gergins who both finished with 12 digs for the Lady Mustangs.

TMC improved to 13-1 on the day as the Mustangs wrapped up their non-conference 2012 play. The #16 Lady Mustangs will take six days off before opening GSAC play against #4 Biola University. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 PM at Bross Gym, in Santa Clarita, CA.

The Mustangs handled the Simpson Red Hawks with little problems, winning in three sets (25-12, 25-7, 25-17).

Rachel Taylor (Sun Valley, CA) led TMC with nine kills, four digs, one block assist, and a .182 hitting percentage.  Tori Callihan (Simi Valley, CA) added six kills, two blocks assists, and .857 hitting percentage. Sam Dougherty (Madera, CA), Ashley Newton (Henderson, NV), and Brittany Jones (Northridge, CA) all chipped in 4 kills. Dougherty also lead the team with 10 digs. Not to be overlooked sophomore setter & libero Olivia Gwinn (Santa Clarita, CA) made her season debut and contributed two digs.

The NAIA No. 16 nationally ranked Mustangs were dominant to begin the first set, and controlled the match for the entirety of the day. TMC hit .333 as a team, and highlighted the second set by hitting .529.  TMC’s ravishing defense held the Red Hawks to a -.107 hitting percentage on the match.

The matinee was a solid win for TMC, but the Mustangs knew another challenge was just around the corner.

Head coach Bobby Blanken and his prevailing Lady Mustangs lifted their 2012 season record to 11-1 Friday night in a 7:00pm showdown against the William Jessup Warriors. The Mustangs made haste against the hosting Warriors and won the match in three sets (25-14, 25-20, 25-14).

Tori Callihan spearheaded the Mustangs efforts with eight kills, three digs, and a .400 hitting percentage.  Ashley Newton ended the night with five kills, three digs, two blocks assists, and .714 hitting percentage.  Rachel Taylor threw in eight kills, Alyssia Gergins (Woodland Hills, CA) had seven, Stacey Jones & Sam Dougherty both had four, and Jenna Kapuscinski (Sylmar, CA) added two.  Gergins led the Mustangs with a game-high 29 assists.

TMC hit .320 in the first set to win 25-14 and followed with a slow .121 in the second stanza to win 25-20. However, the third set showed a red-hot .478 to win 25-14.  The Mustangs hit .284 on the match, compared to .039 for William Jessup.

No. 16 TMC is back in action tomorrow for the final day of the tournament. The Mustangs will face Menlo at 11:00 AM and conclude with Daemen (NY) at 3:30 PM.

Friday proved to be a great opportunity for a variety of TMC athletes to gain valuable game-time experience and work on different rotations. The more game experience that the Lady Mustangs bench can receive, the better, as TMC is one week away from opening league-play against the NAIA’s No. 4 ranked Biola University.