Biola held their own on the volleyball court in Saturday night’s season opener, beating The Master’s College 3-1 and holding to their place as third in the nation. Over 400 spectators gathered in Chase Gymnasium on Saturday to watch Biola play No. 22 Mustangs.

Biola played hard into the first set with multiple kills from sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Mason, and TMC stayed close. Both teams took the lead multiple times and the score was tied on eight separate occasions. The Eagles maintained a bigger lead in the second set to win the first two sets 25-19, and 25-15.

In the third set, the game turned when TMC tied up with Biola and then pulled ahead with a significant lead to win the set 25-19. Despite the temporary setback, Biola did not hesitate going into the fourth. At one point in the set they held a 10-point lead over TMC. Numerous blocks and kills later, they shut out The Masters 25-10 in the final set, winning their 10th game this year.

“It was exciting to start conference games,” Mason said. “We have been practicing for quite awhile now, so it feels great to get the season rolling. The setters and passers did a great job, so that really helps us hitters out. It feels great to get kills and know that it was a team effort to win the game.”

HARD WORK PAYS OFF

Overall, Mason racked up 14 total kills while sophomore outside hitter Joclyn Kirton and junior middle blocker Amy Weststeyn tied for second with 10 kills each. Senior libero Tara Rallis and sophomore defensive specialist Alex Brehaut tallied 15 and 13 digs, respectively.

“Our team has been working really hard at practice, so it was awesome to finally get to play again,” Weststeyn said. “I felt like we came out pretty solid, but we obviously had a few nerves to work through. In most cases, once our team is comfortable on the court, we get into our rhythm and move forward from there. So it was just a matter of finding that rhythm.”

Biola, now the number one team in the Golden State Athletic Conference, fights to defend their top-tier position this Saturday against Hope International.