LONDON, Ont. – The Western Mustangs head into the winter break on a 3-game winning streak with a nice win (25-11, 25-17, 26-24) over OUA West No. 3 Brock Badgers at Alumni Hall on Friday night.
Western took an early lead over Brock in both the first and second sets, almost falling to them in the third set, before coming back to take a critical point and the game.
Exemplary serving in the first set from Jennifer Pierce (Oakville, Ont.) and Jenna Thompson (St. Mary’s, Ont.) gave Western a 20 – 8 lead. Hard hits from Brock’s Rachel Roorda (St. George, Ont.) created some back and forth play between the Mustangs and the Badgers. Thirteen collective kills from Western in the first set alone easily gave Western the set (25-11) and a 1-0 advantage on Brock.
The second set was almost an exact replica of the first with Western putting up big blocks throughout the whole set. Brock appeared to lose motivation as Western took a 7-1 lead on Rebecca Oxland’s (Vancouver, B.C.) serves. Brock regained the ball for one point, but it didn’t last long as Western’s powerhouse kills continue to dominate. A backcourt kill attempt from Pierce was unsuccessful due to Brock’s huge block. For the first time in the set, Western allowed Brock two consecutive points. A hit from Brock’s Shannon Anderson gave possession back to the Badgers and they quickly gained on Western bringing the score to within four points. Oxland’s serving combined with kills from Kelly Frittenberg (Caledon, Ont.) and Sarah Johnston (Stratford, Ont.) late in the second set sealed the deal for the Mustangs. They took the set 25-17.
Winning the third set proved to be more difficult than Western had hoped for as Brock came out a completely different team than in the first two sets. Giving Brock the advantage for the first time in the game, the Badgers were up 7-1 before Western could regain possession of the ball. Every time Western closed in on Brock, Brock upped the ante and created some more offensive opportunities that Western could not capitalize on. Finally, with Brock still leading 16-13, Western created some momentum off a hit by Elaine Screaton (Calgary, Alta.) and turned the game around. Now tied at 20, Brock pulled ahead again, but Western was not going down without a fight and it became a battle of who wanted the set more. Thompson’s serving in the third set brought Western within two points of taking the game. Persistent Brock came back to tie the set again, but served the ball into the net allowing Western to come within one point of taking the game. At a critical time, Pierce nailed the vital point and wrapped up the set 26-24 giving Western the game in three straight sets.
Players of the game were Thomson for Western and Roorda for Brock.
The Mustangs finish up the fall season 5-2. They will face Ryerson and York in Toronto on Jan. 7 and 8, before coming home to face Ryerson on Jan. 21 at Alumni Hall.
