LONDON, Ont. – The Mustangs were defeated in five sets (20-25, 25-21, 23-25, 26-24, 8-15) this evening at the W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre in Guelph by a determined Gryphon squad looking to end their five game losing streak.
With the loss, the Mustangs remain tied for fourth place in the OUA West with a 4-10 record, while Guelph moves up to second place while holding a 7-7 regular season record.
Guelph, cheered on by a home court crowd, opened up the match with three uninterrupted points for an early lead. At 5-10, the Gryphons continued to maintain their early lead by cutting off the Mustang attacks with tall blocks and forced the Mustangs forced into their first time out of the night.
Returning to the court, the Mustangs knocked out a quick two points and begun to erode the early lead of the Gryphons. Aided by consistent and strategic serving by Candice Scott, the Mustangs caught up to Guelph at 13-13.
Despite being tied again at 16-16, the Mustangs couldn't stay on the Gryphons and called their second time-out of the set at 17-20.
Unable to come back from the deficit, the Mustangs lost the first set 20-25, following a towering block from Guelph's Ashleigh Andzel and Jennifer Johnstone.
The Mustangs stepped back onto the court with renewed determination, and had the Gryphons in a three point deficit at 4-1. Refusing to slow down, Western pushed Guelph into a time out at 6-2.
Shaving down the point difference, the Gryphons focused on cutting off Mustang powerhouse Kelsey Veltman to bring the score to 15-13. With a three point run for the purple and white, the Mustangs re-extended their lead.
However, the Gryphons were able to capitalize on Mustang errors and were able to match the Mustangs at 21-21. Four quick points later, the Mustangs ended the set on an ace from Serena Smith to win 25-21.
Trading points early in the set, neither team was able to create a substantial lead as the score was tied at 6-6. Continuing to match each other point for point, the set was still tied at 10-10.
With both teams using tight blocks and powerful attacks to try and edge out their opponent, the match remained tied at 18-18. The power struggle continued until the Gryphons were finally able to pull away and end the set with a kill from Shannon Morelli at 23-25.
Much like what was seen in the previous set, an exchange of points welcomed both teams back to the court. Capitalizing on Andzel's serving, the Gryphons pulled away at 6-9. Regaining the serve following an unforced error from Guelph, the Mustangs trailed by only one point at 11-12.
With a Western time out at 16-18, the Mustangs looked to refocus their defensive play to help them surpass the Gryphons.
Despite trailing the Gryphons at 20-23, the Mustangs fought through tall blocks to win the match at 26-24 with a kill from first year Aja Gyjmah and a block from Veltman.
Wasting no time, Guelph racked up a three-point lead early in the set at 2-5 by exploiting areas of weakness in the Mustang defence.
With the Mustangs doubled at 4-8, Guelph's home court crowd kept the Gryphons energized.
Ultimately, the Western time out at 4-11 wasn't enough to interrupt Guelph's momentum, as they ended the set at 8-15 off a Mustang block.
Veltman topped the scoresheet with 21 points across the five sets with 15 kills, two service aces, one solo block, and six assisted blocks. Gyimah followed closely behind with 19 points, while Rebecca Breau led the Gryphons with 15.5 points.
The Mustangs return to the court on Saturday, January 24 to face off against the Warriors at the Waterloo Physical Activities Complex. Game time is set for 6 p.m., with online streaming available at OUA.tv.
