LONDON, ON -- A cohesive team effort in the fourth set allowed Western to overtake Toronto in a 3-1 victory on Friday night at Alumni Hall.
 
As a particularly boisterous audience looked on, Western succeeded in coming back from their heartbreaking loss against Waterloo on Sunday, while Toronto's four-game winning streak was stopped in its tracks.
 
"We prepared for battle so we weren't surprised that they were close to us -- they're a good team," noted Mustangs head coach Jim Sage. "I think it helped our guys that we knew we would have to fight."
 
Outside hitter Gianfranco Sartor came in clutch with an outstanding performance tonight; his hitting percentage sat at .516 as the game came to a close. On the opposition, Evan Falardeau pulled off an impressive game as he snagged fifteen kills in the fourth set alone.
 
Although the Mustangs were able to claim an easy point off the top of the first set, the teams remained neck and neck from this point on. Cooperative efforts by Evan Hammond, Gianfranco Sartor, and Nathan Phelps were exigent. As Toronto pulled ahead with 9-8, the trio came together to erase the possibility of a further comeback and reclaimed the serve for the Mustangs. After the first timeout of the match, Toronto players possessed a seemingly new perspective, changing up their plays and swapping out men to better combat Western. In the end, the opposing team's fresh tactics weren't enough. Western's Evan Hammond snagged the final point of this set with ease, ending it with a 25-21 victory.
 
Looking for a second chance, Toronto started this set off by helping themselves to a point off of their Nicholas Trewern's first serve. Unfortunately, this small victory did not last -- Blues failed to recover a dangerously fast ball as Western's offense came down hard. Western coach Jim Sage could be seen looking up at the scoreboard tensely as the score sat tied at 8-8. In a moment of luck, the Toronto team attempted to block an incoming ball and accidentally knocked it out of bounds, allowing Mustangs to take charge. While the score sat at 23-21 in favour of the opposing team, Western had a chance to recuperate during a timeout. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the Varsity Blues captured the second set 25-23.
 
With a victory under each team's belt, the third set could have belonged to anyone. With Jordan Figueira nailing his serves, Toronto managed to secure a small lead from the start. The Blues were becoming increasingly skilled at gauging whether or not Western's powerful plays would fall out of bounds and they were not taking any chances. Leading by five, Toronto coach John Barret was stone-faced, reminding his players about the importance of playing defense as Western remains eager to begin a rally whenever possible. Meanwhile, Western coaches took a minute to breathe before speaking to the players after calling a timeout at the beginning of the set. "I don't yell at them often, but I did. I told them this was unacceptable. And did they ever come back," head coach Jim Sage said of this particular break. With the Mustangs leading by three, Matt Hooker managed to snag the last point of the set when Toronto players failed to organize themselves in time to stop his serve, finishing with a 25-21 Western victory.
 
In what could have been considered a bad omen had the game ended differently, Western's initial serve of the set fell short. Thankfully, Hooker came to the rescue this set. With his often effortless tipping, he was able to pull his team out of a number of ties and reclaim the ball for the Mustangs. As Western momentarily leaped ahead with 13-11, Jackson Bere and Brady Fidler worked together to implement a variety of concrete blocks. After a few clumsy plays on Western's part, the Varsity Blues managed to close the gap a tad, pulling up close behind the Mustangs with 22-21. Gaining the final point of the fourth set off an out-of-bounds play, Western secured this set 25-22 and subsequently, earned their overall victory.
 
Off the court, Sartor stated the following: "This was one of those games where we look back at the end of the season and say 'Thank god we won that.' It'll set us up for the playoffs super well."
 
The Western men have little time to bask in tonight's victory as they rest and prepare for their game against Ryerson tomorrow at 8:00 in Alumni Hall.