KINGSTON, Ont. – A five set thriller (25-21, 19-25, 25-15, 18-25, 12-15) in the Athletics and Recreation Centre reignited the old rivalry between Western and Queen's, with the Gaels coming out as the eventual victors.
 
The loss moves the Mustangs record to 3-2 for the year, while the Gaels sit at 4-1.
 
Gavin Taylor topped the scoresheet for the Mustangs with 18 points, while Chris Newcombe followed with 13.5. The Gaels were led by Markus Trence, who recorded 23 points throughout the evening, while Zac Hutcheson added 15.
 
Serving took centre stage in the first set, with the Mustangs reaping three points from holes in Queen's coverage. Another four service errors from the Gaels propped the purple and white score up even further, although their own serving was far from perfect.
 
Western gave away six points after a flurry of serving errors in the first set, despite the skill being a determining factor in their third set victory.
 
With the Mustangs experiencing problems at the base line, the offense stepped up to keep the score steady and prevent Queen's from surging ahead. Bryn Ramsay and Zeid Hamadeh were the first Mustangs to make a big impact at the net, while libero Nathan Phelps kept rallies alive.
 
The full team effort carried Western to a 25-21 first set victory.
 
Set two debuted a Gaels lineup unfazed by the pace set by the Mustangs, and able to better match their level of play.
 
Libero Michael Pearce had no problem tracking the balls sent over by leading purple and white hitters, providing his setter with a near-perfect pass to fuel their own offense. Trence was typically the recipient, with the 6-4 outside recording a team high .311 attack percentage.
 
Matt Hooker, Mike Choja, Newcombe and Taylor responded by throwing up a number of assisted blocks to slow down the Gaels, and while several made it on the score sheet, it wasn't enough to prevent Queen's from taking the second set by a score of 25-19.
 
The loss seemed to wake up the purple and white lineup, as the team responded with an unrelenting effort to kick off the third set with an early eight-point lead. As the set continued, the point difference hit its peak at 12 points.  
 
Choja was key in both building and maintaining the point difference, finding success both on the attack and as a blocker. The London product put up recorded points from kills, blocks, and an ace throughout the set.
 
However, his performance was not the only notable one in the set. Hooker's serve continued to consistently challenge his opponents, while Taylor's high powered serve also found open floor.  
 
Western also payed close attention to the boundaries of the court, quickly calling off their teammates and allowing the Gaels to dig themselves deeper through attack errors.
 
Queen's was only temporarily able to slow down the purple and white advance, with the Mustang score stalled at 24 during a 3-point run. The brief interruption wasn't enough to prevent Western from taking the set, as Ramsay provided the final point the Mustangs needed to bring the score to 25-15.
 
The Gaels would be the ones to start off the fourth set strong, with the Mustangs down 5-10 after a four-point run served by Dylan Hunt.
 
Slowly but surely the Mustangs chipped away at the difference, using one of the Gael's strengths against them to bring the score within two before the technical. After getting shut down by leading Queen's blocker Malcolm Prentice, Western shifted the attack to send the ball off their hands and out of bounds.
 
Ironically, it was the same tactic that helped Queen's push the Mustangs back down into a deficit. Once Hutcheson got fired back up and Rudd found some holes in purple and white coverage, momentum carried the Gaels to a 25-18 victory to force a fifth set.
 
Set five opened with the two teams matching each other point-for-point for an even score across the board at 3s.
 
The Gaels were first to break the pattern, with a trio of kills from three different athletes. They were also the first to hit the 8-point mark, relying on Trence for the majority of Queen's points. A native of Orangeville, Ont., Trence ended the set with his 21st kill of the evening.
 
Consecutive serving errors on the part of the Mustangs prevented them from recapturing the momentum they securely held in the third set, despite being able to shave down the point difference.
 
The Gaels immediately pushed back against the purple and white advance to end the set with a 15-12 victory.
 
Western will spend next week away from competition, as they prepare for their next matchup on November 26 against the McMaster Marauders at Alumni Hall.