LONDON, Ont. – The Mustangs bounced back from last week's loss with a commanding three set win (25-18, 25-21, 25-14) against the Trent Excalibur at Alumni Hall on Friday night.  
 
With the win Western continues to lead the OUA West with a 14-2 record, with the Excalibur remaining sixth in the East with a 3-13 record.
 
"We weren't as consistent as we wanted to be, but we did pull it out in three," said setter Kat Tsiofas. "There were some moments where we let our energy drop a little, but overall we won in three and that's what we wanted to do so I think we're happy with our performance today."

Kelsey Veltman led the team offensively with 20.5 points across the three sets, recording 15 kills, three aces, two solo blocks, and one assisted block. Trent relied on Camile Garzon and Celena Kegels to generate points, with the duo combining for 15. Eight came from Garzon, while the remaining seven were contributed by Kegels. 
 
Western wasted no time in building up a substantial lead, outscoring the Excalibur 5-1 in the first minutes of the game. The point difference only increased as the technical approached, and the Mustangs went into the break with a seven-point advantage.
 
A three-point run from the purple and white right immediately following the technical forced the Excalibur to use their final time-out of the set in an attempt to staunch the steady flow of Mustang points.
 
The timeout did exactly what head coach Craig Barclay needed it to, and Trent returned to the floor to knock out eight consecutive points. Austen Condie served through the streak to bring the Excalibur within a few points of the Mustangs
 
However, the Mustangs got their momentum back after a kill from Veltman and rushed to a 25-18 win.
 
Trent opened up the second set by playing the same confident and aggressive game that allowed them a lengthy point run in the first set to stick close to the Mustangs score.
 
Helping the Excalibur stay afloat in their battle with one of the top offensive powers in the OUA was top-tier serving that saw only one error across the entire set.
 
"We knew coming in that they were a tough serving team," noted head coach Melissa Bartlett. "That's one of their strengths, and honestly as soon as out communication starts to slip everything else starts to fall apart."
 
It would again be Veltman who brought momentum and focus back to the Western side of the court, as she won the Mustangs the serve and proceeded to dominate from the baseline. The purple and white slowly edged away from their opponents and towards the 25-point mark.
 
"She did a great job as always," said Tsiofas about the 6-2 middle's performance. "She is one of those players that if you give them the ball, she'll put it away. She did a great job not just hitting tonight but also from the service line. We had a lot of service runs when she was back there serving, and she did a great job."
 
A missed serve from Trent would be the final play of the set, giving the Mustangs a 25-21 win and two set advantage.
 
Western again pushed the Excalibur into a deep deficit early on, but this time there was no mounting comeback.
 
The Mustangs continued their impressive offensive efficiency that has served them well as season long, while maintaining the focus and confidence that seemed to drop off in the earlier sets.
 
Veltman dominated at the net, frequently going on point runs of her own between hitting and blocking, to carry the Mustangs to a 25-14 victory.
 
"If you look at the last stretch of matches, it's probably the most mature volleyball games I've seen her play, especially with her decision making as a hitter," said Bartlett about Veltman's performance. "It's so great to have that outlet. She doesn't score all the time, but it's pretty consistent. We can rely on her. We know if we get the pass up there, she's going to put the ball away."
 
The Mustangs will be back in action tomorrow, February 18 when they host the OUA East leading U SPORTS No. 2 Varsity Blues.