Box Score TORONTO, Ont. – The Mustangs fought back to win two consecutive sets after dropping the first but couldn't close out the match, falling 3-2 to the Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday by scores of 18-25, 25-20,25-19, 23-25, 14-16.
 
The tough loss to the Toronto marks the third straight defeat for the Mustangs, who sit sixth in the OUA West with a 3-12 record– two points behind fifth-place Lakehead and six behind fourth-place Brock. After their win Sunday, Toronto now sits first in the OUA East with a record of 12-3.
 
The first set was a tough one for the Mustangs, as they registered a match-high ten technical errors and a kill percentage of only 2.8% on their way to an 18-25 loss. On the other side of the court, Toronto came out swinging, putting up their second highest kill percentage of the day at 39.3% while only making two errors.
 
The second and third sets were a completely different story, however, as the Mustangs appeared to find new life in the first break and fought back with scores of 25-20 and 25-19. In the second, Western answered Toronto's 39.3% kill percentage with an identical performance and tied their match-high for kills with 12. As if to show that their performance in the second set was anything but a mistake, the Mustangs outdid themselves in the third, registering a 45.8% kill percentage while only committing one error.
 
Western wasn't able to finish off the match in the fourth set but they came extremely close, fighting until the end and forcing a close finish at 23-25. The Mustangs kept the set close in spite of registering their second lowest kill percentage of the afternoon at 11.4% and their highest error total at six.
 
While the Mustangs improved those totals in the fifth and final set, lowering their errors to only three and increasing their kill percentage by 15.3 points, the Varsity Blues were able to close out the match, taking the final set by a narrow 14-16 margin.
 
Candice Scott and Stephanie Kreuter both had strong offensive outings for the Mustangs, with Scott registering 13 kills and Kreuter grabbing 15 of her own. On defence, Serena Smith totaled a team-high 15 digs while Kreuter was right behind her with 13.
 
Ariana Simpson and Kenzie McDonald were the other two Mustangs to reach double digits in digs, both finishing with 12 on the afternoon. McDonald also contributed on offence for the Mustangs, acing on her serve a team-high four times.
 
For Toronto, Charlotte Sider registered a match-high 25 kills, followed from a distance by her teammate Tessa Davis with 13. Asli Ersozoglu and Madelyn Mandryk covered the floor well on defense for the Varsity Blues, adding 11 and 10 digs, respectively.
 
The Mustangs will have a bit of a break before they get back on the court Saturday, February 1, at Alumni Hall, where they'll take on the York Lions before welcoming Nipissing the following day.