Box Score LONDON, Ont.— After losing a tough match against Queen’s yesterday, the Western Mustangs women’s volleyball team rallied this afternoon and defeated the Royal Military College Paladins 3-1.
 
After losing the first set, the Mustangs fought back in order to come away with the victory. With the win, the Mustangs are now back on track with an 8-5 OUA regular season record.
 
Set scores were 23-25, 25-16, 25-22, 26-24
 
It was a close game for the Mustangs, but head coach Dave Edwards said he could not be happier.
 
“I could not be more proud, being down 12, 14 points in a set— the character they showed to come back was great. The question as a coach is ‘why did they wait so long?’ I give credit to RMC. They started off well, but our kids coming off the bench did an amazing job,” he said.
 
“We had a service streak of almost 14 points, and Danielle Marshall had straight serves as well. I really give credit to the character of the team, but more so, the victory here was really the bench. The enthusiasm and the energy—they were nonstop and they really inspired the girls on the floor.”
 
Leading the Mustangs was Marshall with game high of 24 points with 17 kills on 28 attempts. Captain Rebecca Oxland contributed 16 digs followed closely by libero Stephanie Kantzos with 15 digs.
 
Coming off of yesterday’s loss, the Mustangs took to the court looking for redemption against the eleventh place Paladins. While the Mustangs battled for every point, along the way they lost speed as RMC secured a 25-23 set victory.
 
Beginning in the second, the Mustangs looked determined to earn the win. Challenging the Paladins every move, the Mustangs fought hard during every rally in order to gain an edge on RMC. The determination showed as the Mustangs took the set 25-16.
 
Tied set for set, both teams fought hard to gain an advantage in the third. With the score close throughout, Mustangs libero Kantzos was the difference maker, moving around the court to save every point. As a result, the Mustangs topped RMC 25-22 to take a one set lead.
 
Up two sets to one, the Mustangs were determined to finish the game without going to a fifth set. Western struggled to keep up with RMC, as they dominated the play, leaving the Mustangs far behind. Facing a hefty deficit, the Mustangs battled back and as Western’s score started to rise, so did the crowd’s cheers. Toward the end of the set, both teams exchanged points as the Mustangs continued to fight back. In a close finish, the Mustangs took the set 26-24, securing them the 3-1 win.
 
Leading the Paladins was Norah Collins with a team high of 18 points and 13 kills while Kelsey Chang contributed 22 digs.
 
The Mustangs are on the road next weekend. First they will rally against the McMaster Marauders on Friday, January 25, at 6:00p.m. followed by a test against the York Lions on Saturday, January 26 also at 6:00 p.m.