FULLERTON – Hope International welcomed the No. 13-ranked women's volleyball program to Darling Pavilion on Saturday – and while the team did not achieve the desired GSAC result – the Royals showed their mettle in a 25-17, 25-21, 25-22 loss to The Master's.
Lole Mamea led the Royals with nine kills on .300 hitting. Manaia Mamea and Kat Schwab totaled six kills apiece, with Schwab hitting at a .545 clip in 11 errorless swings.
The Mustangs hit .352 for the match compared to just .155 efficiency for the Royals. TMU had the edge in kills (50-30), assists (50-29), service aces (7-4) and digs (49-34).
Kinsley Kollman tallied a career-best 17 kills and Sierra Hale fired off four service aces for TMU.
Alyssa Bishop collected 12 assists and three aces for the Royals.
The two teams slogged through seven ties early in set one. Tied at 9-9, the Mustangs went on a 5-1 burst to grab a 14-10 lead. The Royals (6-11, 2-8 GSAC) fought back with three straight points to climb within 14-13.
But TMU (16-3, 9-2 GSAC) won 11 of the next 15 points to take the 25-17 victory. Kollman, Macy Gebhards and Krista Brady all contributed three kills during the run.
The second set started out as a carbon copy of the first as nine ties dotted the landscape. Deadlocked at 13-13, the Royals used a pair of Savannah Salter kills to build a 16-14 lead. But Kate Wagner's ace knotted the score again at 17-17.
Three more ties ensured – but with the score even at 21-21 – the Mustangs scored the final four points, the last two on Wagner and Kollman kills.
TMU sprinted out to a 12-6 lead in set three, but the resilient Royals utilized a 5-1 run to whittle the deficit to 13-11. TMU responded with four straight points to open up a six-point advantage, and led by as many as seven at 21-14.
However, HIU had more fight left, and went on a 6-1 run to close within 22-20, punctuated by a Bishop ace.
After Gebhards tallied a kill to increase the TMU advantage to 23-20, the Royals benefited from two straight Mustang errors to climb within 23-22.
But Kollman's kill and Hale's ace ended the set at 25-22.
HIU aims to halt a six-match skid, hosting OUAZ on Friday, October 24 at 6:00 p.m.
