LONDON, Ont. – The Mustangs made sure to honour graduating seniors Mike Choja, Chris Newcombe, and Bryn Ramsay in style on Saturday, taking down the Varsity Blues in straight sets (26-24, 25-19, 25-20) on Senior Day at Alumni Hall.
 
"They don't play the same brand of volleyball as we do," said Choja about Toronto. "We're a bit more physical, more blocks, playing the ball at a bit of a different height, but they dig the ball really well. They did really well with that tonight."
 
"They're a tough team to read, and we weren't sure who was going to be on the court for them," said Mustangs head coach Jim Sage about how the team prepared for their second matchup of the weekend. "We made some adjustments in regard to that and some of the guys who were on the court for them played pretty well. Overall, I thought we were pretty prepared."
 
Bryn Ramsay was the highest scoring athlete in the match, with 15.5 points from 11 kills, two aces, three assisted blocks and one solo block. Toronto's Alex Barnes followed with 12 points, while Evan Cranshaw and Zeid Hamadeh were close behind with 11.5 and 11 points.
 
"Bryn had an edge to him that we haven't seen since last year," said Sage of Ramsay's performance. "The guys make fun of him for grunting, but that's just pure adrenaline and it makes him a better player. I thought he played very well tonight, and he's getting back to where he can be."
 
With the win the Mustangs match Guelph's 10-5 record to share second place in the OUA West. McMaster continues to lead the division with a 15-0 record, while York tops the East division. The Varsity Blues are fifth in the East with six wins and ten losses.
 
Set one saw the Mustangs burst out of the gate and race towards the 25-point mark, only briefly being slowed on the way to the finish line. Western held a commanding six-point lead following the technical, but a sudden burst of focus from the Varsity Blues allowed them to match the Mustangs at 23.
 
Nicholas Trewern and Zach Albert led the comeback offensively, while the defensive game of the Varsity Blues also improved. However, the more impactful adjustment was likely Toronto's serving improving throughout the set. Despite being one of the OUA's best serving teams, the visiting side racked up four service errors in the first set, most of which were concentrated early on.
 
From that point on it was just a matter of who could put up two consecutive points. Only a brief delay held off the purple and white advance, and an ace from Ramsay put the final nail in the coffin for the Varsity Blues for a 26-24 purple and white victory.
 
Western came out swinging just as hard in the second as they did in the first, and their high powered offence allowed them to quickly get a jump on the Varsity Blues.
 
Hamadeh, Ramsay, and Cranshaw kept the purple and white score moving along, while Toronto struggled to maintain consistency. However, consistency also quickly became a point of difficultly for the Mustangs as they recorded three unforced errors in a row.
 
"In the second set we came out of the technical at 16 and stunk for about six points in a row" noted Sage. "I was a little disappointed in that. We've got to clean that up, and can't have that happen. We were controlling that second set and all of a sudden it was tied and we were battling. We just want to be more consistent in those situations."
 
In an attempt to provide the purple and white offence with more front-row firepower and regain the just-lost points, Sage changed around his lineup. Ben Hooker was subbed on for Ramsay while Gavin Taylor went on the court for Matt Hooker.
 
The lineup change put setter Ben Hooker in the back row to allow the Mustangs to utilize three attackers at the net. While initially serving a strategic purpose in terms of position, Ben Hooker quickly established himself as a threat from the baseline as Toronto has difficulty returning his serve.
 
The refreshed lineup served its purpose, quickly brining the Mustangs to the 25-point mark while Toronto remained at 19.
 
Western's offence continued to dominate the floor in set three, but also improved their blocking timing to effectively shut down the Varsity Blues – an effort led by Choja and Newcombe. On five different occasions the Mustangs shut down Toronto's attackers, nearly matching the total number of blocks from the last two sets combined.
 
"Mike has had a good second half," noted Sage. "He had some big hits and that was great for him. I thought he played a very good game."
 
Toronto's offence tried to adjust, but by trying to hit above or around the block they only sent the ball out of bounds. Only twice were they able to string together more than two points at a time, and most came in singles.
 
Hamadeh brought an end to the game with an ace that moved the final score to 25-20, to give the Mustangs their seventh win in the nine games played since the New Year.
 
Western will close out their regular season on the road next weekend, making the trip to Nipissing and York. The results of the weekend will determine whether the Mustangs finish second or third in their division.