SANTA CLARITA, Calif. -- Less than 24 hours after a home defeat to The Master's Mustangs, VU men's volleyball put on a better display at TMU.  While the Mustangs prevailed 25-16, 22-25, 29-27, 25-23, the Lions won a set against the NAIA champs and improved the team's hitting rate compared to last night.  The Lions dropped to 3-10, while TMU improved to 6-0.

What Happened?  The first period seemed to imply the rematch would be a similar story to Friday, as the Mustangs led start-to-finish in the first interval.  Logan Freemon and Micah Sybesma had the first kills for VU, but after trailing 6-4, VU was unable to come within two points again in the first, losing 25-16.  TMU hit .647 in the first stanza.
 
Set 2
The Blue and Gold gripped the second set and started swinning, as Sybesma and Braddock Duckworth potted strikes.  After a 9-9 tie, a TMU error and a Sybesma slam put VU up by two, and the Lions parried with the Mustangs from there.  Grant Veldman joined with a booming kill to put the squad up 13-11, and Freemon and Sybesma continued to reset the VU edge to two.  A Veldman ace and a Cole Oliver kill put the Blue and Gold up 20-19, with Oliver sliding in an ace after that.  Vanguard remained a step ahead as the set came to a close, with an Oliver ace and a TMU error giving the Lions the period 25-22.  Vanguard had a team-high .364 hitting rate in the second.


Set 3
With 17 ties throughout, the third interval was back-and-forth, though small runs by each side defined the set.  A Duckworth and Freemon combo block was followed by a Veldman kill to put VU up 2-0, but TMU then raced ahead by two.  Down a couple, an ace by Oliver cinched things at 8-8, and a Freemon slam knotted the set at 11-all soon thereafter.  Oliver threw down another point to end a small Mustang rally, and a TMU error gave the Lions a 16-15 edge.  The squads exchanged points after that, as the hosts inched ahead only for VU to tie it again.  Oliver put Vanguard on the doorstep with a thundering strike (25-24), but the Mustangs replied with one of their own. Twice did Sybesma make it an advantage VU with a kill, but The Master's had an answer each time, until a kill and an ace by the hosts gave them the set 29-27.  TMU hit .355, while the Lions had a .265 clip, though the kill tally (16-14) was close.

Set 4
Errors by both sides characterized the final set, as both teams hit match lows, with VU at .081 and The Master's at .161.  A 3-0 run opened the frame for TMU, and though Freemon got the Lions on the board with a kill, the Mustang lead soon stabilized around four points.  Ahead 14-10, TMU scored six of the next eight points to cement their hold on the fame, and the home side soon secured the victory with a 25-16 set win.
 
TMU hit .364 in the match, while Vanguard had a .214 mark.  Both sides had five aces, and the Lions were narrowly behind in blocks (6-5), kills (50-46), and digs (32-31).  Willy Wang started at setter for VU and had 37 helpers in his first extended look, while also helping on two blocks and picking up seven digs.  Freemon had 10 kills, while Sybesma had a team-high 13, and his three errors were low enough to net him a .526 efficiency rating.  Oliver and Veldman each had two aces.

What's Next?  Vanguard welcomes the Tritons of UC San Diego, and former coach Brad Rostratter, to the Freed Center Wednesday night for a 7:00 p.m. match.