LONDON, Ont. – The Mustangs faced three tight sets (25-16, 25-23, 25-22) against the RMC Paladins, but pulled through with a victory at Alumni Hall on Saturday night.
 
"They never stop fighting, and they won't," said Mustangs head coach Jim Sage about RMC. "They don't care what the score is. They're military, so they're fighters. And boy we had to fight. Second set was ugly, and they could have easily—we were lucky to win that second set. I was almost planning that we were going to lose it. But we, I gotta give them credit, we fought back and snuck it out. And then I thought we'd dominate in the third, and then we didn't. It was back and forth until right at the end there, we were lucky enough to capitalize on a few of their errors."
 
The win makes Western second in the OUA West Division with a three game winning streak and a 5-2 record. RMC now sits at 1-7.

The Mustangs' offence was distributed across the board, and all team members contributed to the night's success. Evan Hammond and Zeid Hamadeh each tallied eight kills. Hammond led the team in points with ten even. One point behind was Chris Newcombe, who also recorded seven kills tonight.
 
RMC saw their players all marking points as well. Richard Bucar recorded eight kills and digs, including four kills in the last set. Dale Towe led the team offensively, tallying 15.5 points and 11 kills.
 
The Mustangs had a slow start in the first set of the night, with their first three points gained off of RMC mistakes.
 
"We had a little bit of a rough patch at the start," said Hammond. "Then coach kind of harped on us a bit, told us what we needed to do correctly and then I think we went out there and just did the little things right. It's just staying together and being one, so as long as we do that, we're doing good."
 
The game took a turn when Newcombe stepped up to serve six balls in a row, allowing Western to take the lead for the first time at 9-8, as they started to find their footing on the court. The Paladins would be unable to retake their early lead, and the first set ended by the largest margin of the night, 25-16.
 
RMC regained momentum in the second set, taking the lead after the first four points. They dominated the first half of play, forcing the Mustangs to slowly try and close the gap. The Mustangs managed to tie the score at 15-15, briefly taking the lead before the Paladins overcame them once again.
 
A powerful serve from Bryn Ramsay would allow Western to tie it up once again at 20-20. The play until the end of the set remained back and forth until the Mustangs broke the 23-23 tie.
 
Hamadeh was crucial to Western play in the second set, recording four kills and digs. The Mustangs stayed in the game amidst the tight set, and pulled through with the 25-23 win.
 
"I think we've really grown into a team that's able to stay composed under pressure," said Hamadeh. "That's exactly what we focused on today and every other game this season. So, I think we just try and relax more whenever there's a tight situation and hopefully good things happen."
 
The Paladins almost overtook the Mustangs in the third set. The teams were tied at 8-8, with the Mustangs forced to match RMC point for point until the Paladins extended the gap to 18-16.
 
"I think just going in to the second half, we need to get stronger, continue to play consistent," said Hammond about the team's performance. "We always come out strong but then tend to get off the gas pedal a little bit. But I think if we just can continue to play the way we know how and do little things right, we're going to continue to have success."
 
Strong offensive and defensive play saw the same back and forth action that was typical of the night. The Mustangs finally managed to extend the lead and end the final set with a 25-22 win.

"We have a really good exhibition schedule. Going to Winnipeg and playing some of the top teams in the country, then we're going to York, and have another tournament there before we're back on to league play," said Sage of how the team will stay in the game for January. "So, we're going to stay in shape, we're going to practice a little bit less but still keep sharp, and then be ready for the rest of the season."
 
The Mustangs will be back in action in the new year when they face the Ryerson Rams on Friday, January 12^th at 8:00 pm in Toronto.