LONDON, Ont. – The last couple of seasons have seen a high-energy battle whenever the Mustangs met the Ryerson Rams on the floor, and this afternoon's contest was no different. Despite dropping the first set, the Mustangs pushed back to take the next three for a 3-1 win (24-26, 27-25, 25-23, 25-23) on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Hall.
 
"It wasn't our best team performance, we showed some nerves," said head coach Melissa Bartlett about the season opening win. "They felt pretty stressed because we just couldn't seem to get any momentum, but in the long run they pulled out the points that they needed to."
 
Aja Gyimah topped both sides of the score sheet with 19.5 points, while Kelsey Veltman recorded 17.5. Kaleigh Matheson was next on the board with 13. Candice Scott also had one of the most impressive performances of the game, recording six service aces.
 
The Rams counted on Theanna Vernon and Veronica Livingston to generate points, with the duo recording 17 and 12 points respectively.
 
"They both played really well, and I think as players they're some of the strongest we see when we play OUA games," said Matheson about Vernon and Livingston. "They're people you always have to be attuned to when you're in the front of the court."
           
After a messy first few points opened the match, both teams eventually began to settle into their stride.
 
The Mustangs continued to capitalize on their variety of heavy hitters, with Veltman, Gyimah, Matheson, and Scott all recording kills. However, it was arguably Scott - the only fifth-year player on the roster - who was responsible for keeping the Mustangs in the game.
 
"She really performs like a fifth-year," said Matheson about Scott's performance. "She's the only fifth-year on the roster and it shows through her maturity and confidence when she plays. She's such a good role model. […] She's always working hard and that consistency shows."
 
Throughout the set the Kitchener native was able to reverse momentum on the court almost singlehandedly. She recorded two consecutive aces early in the set, with a third ace coming directly after a commanding assisted block to match the Rams at 20-20 and then help the Mustangs pull ahead.
 
Her efforts proved not to be enough, however, as Ryerson roared back and battled through the last few points for a 26-24 win.
 
"I think we all had a lot of nerves in the first set," noted Matheson. "Ryerson came out how we knew they could, when their passing and everything is strong. I think we just needed to tune in and get our serves strong and competitive, and that's when we know we can get them out of system and play our game."
 
The second frame was just as tight as the first, with the score even across the board at 12s, and 15.
 
A six-serve run from Scott – featuring another two aces – and strong attacking from Gyimah allowed the Mustangs to hit 20 with a four-point cushion, but the Rams weren't about to go down without a fight.
 
Third-year middle Vernon's performance at the net tied the game at 23-23, and again at 25-25. It wasn't until Langegger sent the ball right down the line that the Mustangs were able to walk off with the 27-25 victory.
 
Western saw their best start in the third set, jumping out to an 11-7 lead.  Veltman and Gyimah took the lead offensively, while Sestric picked up five digs.
 
Matheson took over as the dominant force later in the set, following back-to-back purple and white communication errors that cut down the lead to 21-19. The business student was the top choice for setter Katherine Tsiofas, recording three of the last four purple and white points to give the Mustangs a 25-23 win.
 
"Kaleigh came out really big today," noted Bartlett. "That was a weakness we were trying to tack over their smaller setter, and she scored the points when we needed to."
 
Set four saw the return of point-for-point action, with the Mustangs first to break rank and establish a small three-point lead with 11 points on the board.
 
Vernon continued to present one of the biggest challenges for Western, as the Scarborough native was the engine fuelling a five point run for the Rams that pulled them briefly ahead on the scoreboard. She proved to be just as much of a threat from the base line, recording an ace on her first serve.
 
The final points of the game saw a series of attack errors from both sides of the court, with a rotational error giving the Mustangs the one-point advantage at 24-23. Just as she did multiple times last season, Gyimah closed out the game on a strong note for the Mustangs with a final kill.
 
The Mustangs return next weekend, when they take on the Guelph Gryphons and Waterloo Warriors at Alumni Hall.