LONDON, Ont. – Despite playing arguably their best volleyball of the season, the Western Mustangs fell in four sets (20-25, 20-25, 25-15, 26-28) to the U SPORTS No. 2 Toronto Varsity Blues on Senior Day at Alumni Hall.
 
"I think they handled it really well, said head coach Melissa Bartlett about how her team handled the OUA's preeminent force. "There was nothing too big riding on that game, it was just a good test to see where we are at this point in the season."
 
"We came in really confident and with a lot of energy," added Melissa Langegger. "We knew they were a tough team and that we would fight hard. We didn't end up pulling it out, but I think we showed a great effort."
 
The loss brings the purple and white record to 14-3, and the Mustangs are tied for first in the OUA West alongside the McMaster Marauders. Toronto continues their undefeated season with the win, moving to 17-0 and maintaining their spot in first in the East. 
 
Toronto's Alina Dormann was the greatest offensive power on the floor, recording 24 points across four sets. Kelsey Veltman followed with 19 for the Mustangs, while Anna Feore tallied the same number for the Varsity Blues.
 
The Mustangs held a narrow lead throughout most of the opening set, with the Varsity Blues only jumping in front in the final moments.
 
First-year left side Langegger's performance was arguably one of the most offensively dominant on the court. Her five kills led the Mustangs, and was topped only by Feore's seven. Dormann was held to five, largely due to a dominating performance by Western's blockers.
 
Scott, Veltman, Aja Gyimah, and Kaleigh Matheson all recorded blocks, while Melissa Langegger and Kat Tsiofas also got hands on the ball only to have the Varsity Blues continue the rally. Further pushing the Mustangs along was their defensive energy that saw the athletes run down every errant pass regardless of where it was headed.
 
Western stayed ahead of the Varsity Blues until the purple and white block began to soften, paving the way for Toronto surge ahead and take the first set by a score of 25-20.
 
The second set also saw the Varsity Blues come out on top, posting a 25-20 win.
 
Toronto outscored the Mustangs 5-1 in the opening minutes of the set and forced Western to spend the entire set trying to work their way back up.
 
Dormann and Feore continued to fuel the offensive effort of the Blues, while continuing to fire on all cylinders in every other aspect of the game. The same momentum and strengths that carried the Blues to a first set win remained in full force for the entirety of the second set to put Toronto up 2-0.
 
Set three saw the two teams trade points back and forth, matching each other for the first several points of the frame.
 
It wasn't until Veltman hit her stride that the Mustangs took off to rush past Toronto. The 6-2 middle had her best set to that point in the day with five kills, and has become a reliable outlet for the Tsiofas to turn to when the team needs a momentum boost.
 
The purple and white energy on the floor continued to surge as one of the largest home crowds of the year showed their support after each and every Western point.
 
The Mustangs also integrated a few new faces into the lineup, with Danielle Grasman and Tia Miric both hitting the court in the third frame.
 
"Tia coming in made a big difference," noted Langegger. "She passed really well and allowed us to run our offence."
 
With momentum on their side, the Mustangs took the third set by a commanding 25-14 score.
 
Toronto bounced back in the fourth set, holding the lead for the majority of play until the game was tied at 19-19 and reverted back to being a point-for-point affair.
 
Langegger continued her stellar play both at the net and in the backcourt. Not only did she rack up more digs than any other Mustang, she consistently provided Tsiofas with a pass that kept all offensive options open.
 
However, Toronto continued their solid defensive play from earlier into the fourth set. Few points in the fourth set could be described as unearned, as rallies routinely saw the ball cross the net upwards of ten times.
 
The point-for-point deadlock continued until Emma Armstrong and Dormann knocked out back-to-back kills to take the set at 26-28.
 
Western is back in action next week, when the team will close out the regular season with a pair of games against Nipissing and York.