Box Score LONDON, Ont. – The Mustangs proved themselves to be the real warriors on the floor Sunday afternoon, battling through five sets (23-25, 25-21, 26-28, 26-24, 15-10) of competitive action to eventually top Waterloo. Western remains undefeated three games into the season, while Waterloo holds a 0-2 record.
"I think we did well," said libero
Courtney Sestric. "We had some new people in so the communication wasn't always there, but in the end when it was tight our focus was really good."
"They think of themselves as fifth set warriors," added head coach
Melissa Bartlett. "We've had a lot of experience in playing fifth sets in a couple seasons and were pretty pumped to get that fifth set. Getting that experience is good, and credit to Waterloo. They played very well, they never gave up and they pushed up right to the very end."
Kelsey Veltman topped both sides of the scoresheet, recording 29 points. The second highest scoring Mustang was early OUA All-Rookie team contender
Carly Kimmett, recording 11 points.
"She's always a go-to player on the court," said Sestric of Veltman's performance. "We can always count on her to score us some big points when we need them.
For the Warriors, Kayla Wierts led the team in scoring with 15 points, followed by Claire Mackenzie's 13.5 points.
The game also saw saw
Tia Miric in her first U Sports starting role. The Huron College student took over the role of starting setter and court captain for much of the match, recording 42 assists.
"She had a great match," said Bartlett about Miric's time on the court. "She made some really great decisions, and was creating a lot of isolation opportunities for our outsides. She's so creative as a setter, and aggressive."
Veltman opened the set with imposing blocks that are characteristic of her presence at the net. While only a handful made it on the scoresheet, several more kept the ball on the Waterloo half of the net but were continued thanks to tight covering.
Communication errors kept the Mustangs from running away with the set, with balls dropping in between players and a purple and white rotation error in the first play following the technical.
Also keeping the Mustangs down was Wierts, who challenged purple and white coverage with her blocks while chipping in three points from kills. Mackenzie also made an impact with four kills and an .444 attack percentage to make her the most efficient hitter on the floor.
With the Mustangs struggling to contain unforced errors and a thriving Waterloo offense, the Warriors took the first set by a score of 25-23.
Western returned for set two with something to prove, quickly building up an 8-2 lead. Greater energy and an improved presence on the court was the biggest difference between sets one and two, along with the integration of
Katie McKenna into the starting lineup.
The business student made an impact with five kills and the first purple and white ace of the match.
Veltman continued to provide the majority of the firepower while in the frontcourt, firing the ball between and around blockers to keep the Mustangs in the lead.
The Warriors were held at an arm's length for most of the set, but came out after the technical to stall the purple and white lead. Western headed into the timeout leading by a score of 16-7, but were outscored 9-13 in the second half of the set.
However, the late burst wasn't enough to topple the thriving Mustangs, who walked off the court with a 25-21 win.
Set three saw the Mustangs again take an early lead, relying on the same plays that kept them ahead in the previous set. Veltman continued to send the ball shooting into open floor, and Sestric and Kimmett kept the increasingly lengthy rallies alive with with stable passing.
The Warriors, however, finally began to adjust to the purple and white style of play and better anticipate where the Mustangs would place the ball. Their improved backcourt coverage and blocking allowed them to match the purple and white score and push the set into additional points.
"There was a lack of urgency to end the sets," noted Bartlett. "We had some great, big leads that we kind of relaxed on and let them slip back in. Waterloo just kept chipping away, I think it's just a lack of focus."
Capitalizing on Wierts' strength at the net, Waterloo overtook the Mustangs late in the set to secure a 26-28 win.
Another fast start from Western kicked off the fourth set, but just as they did earlier in the match, the Warriors had soon caught up. The same pattern played out throughout the set, with the Mustangs eventually ending up on top.
A well-balanced offensive effort helped the Mustangs throughout the set, with
Kaleigh Matheson, Kimmett and Veltman all making a big impact. For the Waterloo, strong blocking was the key to closing the point difference.
Accuracy also appeared to take on a bigger role in the set, with both teams struggling more than usual to keep the ball within the boundaries of the court.
Veltman eventually finished off the set for the Mustangs, with her kill bringing the score to 26-24 to force a fifth set.
The King' College student continued to play a large role in generating points for Western in the final set of the game, while the threat from the Warrior half of the court was evenly spread across multiple athlete.
Unlike the previous sets, this one began with the scores locked closely together. It wasn't until after the halfway point that Western broke out. Ending on a marathon rally, the Mustangs took the final set 15-10.
"As [the end of the game] got closer both sides' intensity picked up because we really wanted it. It's the fifth set – of course we're going to work as hard as we can," said Sestric. "Our defensive focus improved a lot from the first set to the fifth, so that what's pulled us ahead."
Next weekend has the Mustangs on the road to take on the RMC Paladins on Friday, before moving on to Queen's the following day.
"Defence plays a huge role in winning, and serves as well," said Sestric about what the teams needs to do to be prepared for next week's matchups. "The focus just really needs to be there to win."
