WATERLOO, Ont. – Seeking redemption after their earlier defeat by the Mustangs in October, the Warriors stepped up to defeat the Mustangs in three straight sets (18-25, 13-25, 12-25) Saturday evening at Waterloo's Physical Activities Complex.
The defeat evens out Western's regular season record to 8-8 and drops the Mustangs down to share sixth place with Guelph. Waterloo, with a 12-5 record on the regular season, sits comfortably in third place within the OUA standings.
The Warriors kicked off the match by racking up a quick three-point lead over the Mustangs at 3-6 following a series of purple and white errors. Maintaining the lead at 7-10, Waterloo relied on strength at the net to cut off Mustang attacks while sending out powerful hits of their own.
Continuing to rely on blocking and powerhouse attackers, Waterloo still had Western in a five-point deficit at 15-20.
Ending on an ace from 6'7" Jordan McConkey, Waterloo took the first set 18-25.
Again taking an early lead, Waterloo had a substantial five-point lead over the Mustangs at 6-1.
Tripling the Mustang score at 5-15, consistent serving and strong blocking from the Warriors kept them ahead.
Western continued to fall further behind Waterloo after struggling to combat the barrage of kills being sent over from the yellow and black half of the court. Unable to staunch the flow of attacks, Western lost the second set 13-25 following a kill from Warrior Aidan Simone.
Continuing the pattern established in the previous sets, Waterloo picked up a lead early on in the third set leaving the Mustangs four points behind at 2-6. Capitalizing on weak spots in the Mustang defence, the Warriors still maintained the four-point difference at 8-12.
A five-point run for Waterloo, served by Brandon Cok, brought the score to 9-18 and pushed the Mustangs into a deeper point difference. With the Mustang score again doubled at 11-22, the Warriors continued to unapologetically power through Western's blocks.
Unable to overcome the difference, the Mustangs lost the third set 12-25 following a kill from Brandon Baker.
Waterloo's Jordan McConkey topped the scoresheet for the match, recording 13.5 points from nine kills, two service aces, and five assisted blocks. Meanwhile, Aaron Wiersma and Zachary Doherty each contributed 9.5 points to the Warrior effort.
Leading the purple and white scoresheet was Mike Choja, who recorded seven points from six kills and two assisted blocks. Justin Scapinello followed closely behind with six points across the three sets.
The Mustangs next hit the court Saturday, January 24 when they face off against longtime rival Queen's University in front of a home crowd. Part of a series of varsity events happening for Mustang Days running January 29-February 1, game time is set for 2 p.m. at Alumni Hall and will be streamed live on OUA.tv.
