Box Score LONDON, Ont. – The Mustangs were in top form Sunday afternoon, needing only three sets (25-23, 27-25, 25-20) to topple the CIS No. 10 Waterloo Warriors. With the win, Western holds a 2-1 record while the Warriors are 1-1.
 
"We knew Waterloo would be a huge game," said Chris Newcombe. "They're a top ten team in the CIS. It was huge for us. We had to win to bounce back from Guelph. We had to do it. […] Guelph came in and walked all over us, so we came into today's game knowing we would have to fight – probably in five sets. But we ended up finishing it in three and it was a great team effort."
 
"It was a true testament to our team's character," said Mike Choja about the win. "I'm really proud of the guys from coming out and exerting their dominance over Waterloo. It was a really great team effort."
 
While the win wouldn't have been possible without a high level of performance across the entire lineup, a few Mustangs stood out from the crowd. Chris Newcombe led the team in points, recording 12.5 throughout the three sets of action. Gavin Taylor followed with 9.5, while Zeid Hamadeh recorded a team-high 7 digs.
 
"Chris was amazing today," noted head coach Jim Sage. "Amazing in the front row, unstoppable. He had some huge blocks near the end."
 
Braden Cok led the Warriors offensively with 11 points, while Jordon McConkey followed closely behind with with 10.
 
Although it may not have been reflected in the final score, the Mustangs spent the first few points of set one struggling. Six of Waterloo's first nine points came from purple and white errors, four of those being service errors.
 
Even with the slow start, Western grabbed an early lead that lasted that to the final points of the set.
 
The Mustangs began to clean up their game as the set progressed with a number of offensive standouts leading the charge. Newcombe and Taylor both recorded four kills, while Bryn Ramsay and Hamadeh also broke onto the scoreboard. Waterloo's attack was similarly varied, with no player standing out as an overwhelming threat.
 
Taylor and Newcombe made sure to end the set with a showing off their skills, as the duo made sure the last points from Western were kills. Following their performances at the net, the Mustangs claimed a 25-23 first set victory.
 
Set two saw the Warriors play an improved defensive game and take the lead for the first time all afternoon.
 
Middle Jordan McConkey led the team through the first several points of the set, recording four consecutive blocks to bring the score to 6-2. Also contributing was Cok and Kevin Lebreux, who assisted on two blocks including a towering triple.
 
"They have a pretty strong brand of volleyball at Waterloo," noted Choja. "They serve well and they're a great blocking team."
 
The four-point lead was still going strong by the technical time-out, and it wasn't until the Warriors rounded the 20-point mark that Western was able to take the reigns. A varied offense helped carry the Mustangs through the final points of the set, with Evan Cranshaw, Choja, Ramsay, Taylor, and Newcombe all recording points.
 
By the end of the set, the Mustangs had clawed their way to a 27-25 victory.
 
Setter Matt Hooker relied on the middles in the third set, with Newcombe and Choja providing seven of the team's 11 points earned from kills. Another three came from blocking, with Newcombe as the only constant across all three instances.
 
"He's really stepped up this year," said Choja about Newcombe. "From undergoing a little bit of injury issues last year, he's been able to step in and really take the bull by the horns and take over in the middle. It brings such diversity to our offence, and really allows us to exploit the gaps both in the middle and outside."
 
Cok and Aidan Simone were largely responsible for keeping Waterloo competitive, as the only two able to consistently find open floor in the third set.  Also helping to give the Warriors an early boost was three consecutive serving errors from the Mustangs.
 
With Choja and Newcombe thriving in the middle, Western put the final nail in the Warriors coffin by taking the third and final set 25-20.
 
"They're a good team, and once they get going they're hard to stop," said Newcombe about the match. "We just had to shut them down early, and kept that going."
 
"It was one of our best performances," said Sage. "Or at least one of our best bounce back performances. […] They played with a lot of heart, desire, and execution from everybody – which was key to our success."
 
The Mustangs are back in action next week, when they head to Kingston to take on the RMC Paladins and the Queen's Gaels.