LONDON, Ont. –  A game-high 17 points from Aja Gyimah helped the Mustangs triumph in a competitive four set battle (25-11, 20-25, 25-17, 25, 27) over the Windsor Lancers on Saturday night at Alumni Hall.
 
"There were parts that were very good, and there were parts that were very bad," said Mustangs head coach Melissa Bartlett on her team's performance against the Lancers. "That was one of our first matches in a while that we've had those inconsistences. [We] just need to shake it off and focus on next week. We've got two important matches coming up next weekend."
 
The win maintains Western's spot atop the OUA West at 12-1, with their record topped only by the defending national champion and OUA East leading Toronto Varsity Blues. Windsor moves to 4-9 following the loss, good for fifth in the West.
 
Four Mustangs hit double digits in the win, with Kelsey Veltman, Candice Scott, and Melissa Langegger joining Gymiah. Gyimah's 17 points led the team, followed by Veltman with 16, Scott with 15.5, and a career-high 13.5 from Langegger. 
 
Coach Bartlett was impressed with Langegger's performance on Saturday, saying that the first-year outside hitter is "such a great athlete."
 
"I knew that coming in, and she's made a bigger impact on our team than I thought she would in her first year, which is always a pleasant surprise. She had some big time kills on the left side. She's really reaching high and hitting hard, that's going to be successful against any team."
 
Also having a standout night for the purple and white was Tia Miric, who got the start at setter, recording 50 assists and helping the Mustangs post hitting percentages of .278 and .385 in the first and third sets respectively.
 
Windsor relied on a combination of Lexi Pollard and Rachel Cauchi to generate points, each ending the match with eight.
 
It took Western a few minutes to fall into step, but once they hit their stride the Lancers struggled to slow down the onslaught of purple and white points.
 
Windsor struggled offensively throughout the entire first set, with only three athletes able to land points. Pollard and Emily McCloskey, combined for four points in total – a number matched singlehandedly by Gyimah.
 
"[Aja's] not only a great athlete that jumps high and hits hard, but she sees the court so well. I think her strategy is that she picks apart the opponent in the first set and tries out a few different shots to see which is going to be most successful. It's nice to have that
 
Pushing the Mustangs further ahead was their ability to remain in system, even when under pressure.
 
Western had no problem bringing the set to a quick end, with a final Lancer attack error giving the Mustangs a 25-11 win.
 
The second set saw the Lancers string together a three-point lead just after rounding the ten-point mark for their largest lead of the night up to that point.
 
Windsor's momentum had less to do with their own level of play than with that of the Mustangs. Attack after attack was being sent outside the court while the Lancers were becoming increasingly attuned to the trend.
 
Carly Kimmett's addition to the court helped Western take back the lead heading into the technical, but the purple and white errors soon returned. The Mustangs recorded more than twice the number of attacking errors seen in set one at the same time as the Lancers were refining and improving their offensive game.
 
The Lancers took advantage of those errors throughout the final points of the set to eventually take it 25-20.
 
Set three saw the Mustangs surge right out of the gate and build up an 8-1 lead by playing what they've come to refer to as "Western Volleyball."
 
"We just had a meeting with [coach Bartlett] and she described it really well as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," said Miric on the difference in the Mustangs play between the various sets.
 
"That tends to happen, we play incredible, we win 25-11 in the first set, and then I think we maybe get a little bit comfortable and let them come back. Then we realize we have to change something, so we bring it up in the next set and then we feel comfortable again, so that's something we've been working on all season."   
 
Scott went on an eight serve run, but even once it had come to an end Gyimah, Langegger, and Veltman continued to dominate at the net to keep the Mustangs rolling.
 
The Lancers fought back with some firepower of their own in Pollard, but were no match for a thriving purple and white contingent.
 
A trio of points from Veltman – one kill and two unreturned serves - ended the set 25-15 in favour of the Mustangs.
 
With the game on the line the Lancers went into the fourth set fighting for their lives.
 
Windsor opened the set with their best play of the match, building a five-point lead, however that would be erased before either team hit the 20-point mark.
 
Key in the purple and white comeback was Langegger, who was playing some of the best volleyball of the day.
 
A few breakdowns of communication allowed the Lancers to tie the frame again at 22-22, and the teams traded points until Gyimah was able to break the cycle with an ace to take the set 27-25.
 
"Honestly, as a coach, this win might be more important for us in the long run than one that we win really easily, just because I think it refocuses our team to get back to work in practice next week."
 
The Mustangs are back in action next weekend when they hit the road and head to Waterloo and Guelph.
 
"It's two West Division opponents, those games almost count for two points instead of just the one, and they're also two teams that are already in playoff contention as well. They're the third and fourth place teams, and I think both teams are playing very well. [Plus], we're playing them at home so that's a challenge as well."