THUNDER BAY, Ont. - In a repeat performance of yesterday's win, the Mustangs topped the Lakehead Thunderwolves in straight sets on Sunday afternoon at the C.J. Sanders Field House.

The game saw the Mustangs play one of their cleanest matches all season, with unforced errors almost fully eradicated from the three set effort. 

With the win, Western remains in second place in the OUA West with an 8-3 record. The Thunderwolves record now sits at 3-9, and in a three way tie for fifth alongside Brock and Guelph. 

Kelsey Veltman led the team with 11 points, white Taylor Beedie followed with eight. Lakehead's Rheanna Geisel was the highest scoring athlete of the game, recording 15.5 points. 

Western wasted no time in asserting their dominance over the Thunderwolves and managed to keep their opponents at arm's length for the entirety of the opening set.

Middles Veltman and Danielle Grasman served as the anchors of the purple and white offensive game and had no problem cutting through the block that gave the team trouble in their previous match. 

Grasman's diverse skill set has made her one of the greatest assets on the Mustang roster, as she also throws up an imposing block and is one of the most consistently impressive servers in purple and white.

The decision to heavily feature the middles came from Jessica Lam - a graduate of the Pakmen Volleyball Program - who stepped in as starting setter.

An ace from Beedie brought an end to the set, giving the Mustangs a 25-14 win. 

Beedie would play an even larger roll in the success of the purple and white contingent in the second set as she became the preferred target for Lam, alongside perennial standout Veltman. 

Head coach Melissa Bartlett also moved second year middle Kate Ferguson into the rotation as her height became one of the greatest weapons in the Mustangs arsenal. 

Lakehead stepped up their net defence in the second frame after failing to consistently stop the Mustang attack. Statistically, Haleigh Kearns would make the biggest impact,  but several more blocks were posted by Leah Mousseau and Geisel only to be be saved by Western's block coverage. 

Improved tracking and timing on the part of the Thunderwolves blockers prevented the Mustangs from running away with things as they did in the previous set. However, the defensive effort as helmed by Courtney Sestric allowed the Mustangs to take the second set as well, this time by a five-point margin (25-20). 

Set three again saw Western take an early lead, but Geisel prevented the Mustangs from moving too far ahead of the Thunderwolves on the scoreboard. 

However, scrappy defensive play on the part of both teams was arguably more impactful on the set as a whole. Both teams managed to continue play after seemingly sure fire kills, while also running far outside the court on more than one occasion in an attempt to continue play. 

Liberos Sestric and Ciara Zarn, alongside Geisel were all standouts on the floor, and responsible for the lengthy rallies that defined the third set. 

The final score (25-18) was solidly in favour of the Mustangs, though it didn't reflect the strong play on both sides of the court in the third set.

Western will be back on the court next weekend, when they'll play in Alumni Hall for the first time since November. The Nipissing Lakers will come to London on January 27, followed by the York Lions on January 28.