OTTAWA, Ont. -  True to their name the Ottawa Gee-Gees were the first horse out of the gate on Sunday afternoon, picking up an early two set advantage, however the Mustangs were first across the finish line, taking a five set win (16-25, 20-25, 25-16, 25-16, 15-9) to stay undefeated.
 
The win leaves Western as the only undefeated team in the OUA West at 3-0, while the Gee-Gees record now stands at 4-2.
 
Leading the way for the Mustangs offence was Aja Gyimah with new single game highs of 20 points and 17 kills. Also recording a new single game high was setter Katherine Tsiofas, with six service aces.
 
Ottawa's scoresheet was topped by Caroline Lemay, who recorded 20.5 points throughout the five sets.
 
Opening up the set with an exchange of points, the Mustangs stayed tight to the Gee-Gee score throughout most of the first set.
 
Tied at 8-8, Veltman and Gyimah proved to be the strongest purple and white offensive weapons. Getting on top of every set, both athletes were able to send the ball above the attack line to pick up points.
 
Looking to re-establish dominance following an upset from Windsor, the Gee-Gees roared back. Sending balls through the purple and white blocks and targeting their reputably difficult serves, Ottawa had the upper hand at the technical time-out.
 
Re-extending the lead to 15-20 and forcing Western into their second time-out of the set, the Gee-Gees offence was led by sophomore Lemay, who not only picked up multiple points on her attack but also proved to be a challenge for the Mustang serve reception.
 
The Gee-Gees took advantage of Western errors late in the set to hand the Mustangs a 17-25 loss.
 
The second set opened with the serves of Tsiofas and Katie McKenna sending the Mustang score soaring. Taking their biggest lead of the set at 6-2, the Gee-Gees responded by upping their offence.
 
Surpassing Western at 10-12, Lemay continued to be the biggest threat on the Ottawa half of the court. Serving and passing accurately in the back row while causing trouble for the Mustangs in the front with strong blocks and powerful attacks.
 
Back from the technical at 13-16, the Gee-Gee serves continued to control the game.
 
Able to narrow the point gap to three points at 17-20, the Mustangs began mounting a comeback. Better handling the Ottawa serve and sending attacks into known week spots, Western was just one point behind at 20-21, however that would be as close as they would get as the Gee-Gees went on a 4-0 run to take the set 20-25.
 
The third set proved to be the most hotly contested. Tsiofas added another two aces to her game total to start the set out strong for the Mustangs, while libero Courtney Sestric covered the backcourt throughout rallies.
 
Serena Smith continued to be one of the most consistent players on the floor, rarely making errors in the front or back court and quietly making an impact.
 
Nearly eliminating errors while watching Ottawa send attacks out of bounds and struggle with the improved purple and white serve, Western forced the Gee-Gees into a timeout at 14-8.
 
Heading into the technical timeout, Western had established their biggest lead of the set at 16-10. Western held their edge throughout the remainder of the set, outscoring the Gee-Gees 9-6 to take the third set 25-16.
 
The fourth set opened up with back and forth action, as Western and Ottawa each recorded aces and attack errors early on.
 
Able to get the upper hand after throwing the Gee-Gee reception into trouble, the Mustangs were up by six at 11-5. Veltman's presence in the front court prevented Ottawa's attacks from making it over the net, cutting off the previously unstoppable Alix Durivage and Lemay.
 
Momentum surging, the Mustangs continued to thrive. Unable to pass off Western's serve or attack, the Gee-Gee reception had fallen apart as the technical timeout rolled around at 16-8.
 
With a ten-point advantage at 20-10, the Mustangs began to ease off the gas – an error quickly exploited by Ottawa. An uninterrupted point run quickly narrowed the point difference to just three at 20-17.
 
While the Mustang win was delayed at 24 points as the Gee-Gees attempted a comeback, nothing could stop Western from putting up the final point to take the set 25-22 and force a fifth set. 
 
On the floor for the final set of the match, the energy on the floor was palpable. Alternating points one-for-one, the match was tied at 4-4. 
 
However, the energy of the Ottawa contingent became detrimental as balls were sent past the base line and out. At the half-way point in the set, the Mustangs were up 8-5, a lead that increased to 10-5 shortly after changing sides.
 
Maintaining their lead by playing off the Ottawa block and keeping defense tight, the Mustangs clinched the game with a final kill at 15-9.
 
The Mustangs will be back on the court next week for two matches at Alumni Hall. Their weekend begins on Saturday at 5 p.m., when Western takes on RMC – one of only two other teams Ottawa has dropped sets to. Sunday will see a 2 p.m. matchup against Queen's. Both games will be available live on OUA.tv.