TORONTO – The Mustangs came back from a two-set deficit to win the OUA Bronze Medal, going to five sets to best the perennial league titan Toronto Varsity Blues (14-25, 21-25, 25-16, 25-16, 15-8) on Saturday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
 
Rachael Grove would win player of the game alongside Toronto's Alina Dormann, both identified as two of the strongest all-around players on the court.
 
Kelsey Veltman was the highest scoring athlete on either side of the scoresheet, with 20 points across the five sets. The bulk of her points came from her 15 kills, while she also picked up one ace and the remainder came from blocking. Aja Gyimah followed with 17.5 points, while Grove added 13 to the team's total.
 
Grove joined the matchup partway through the first set, and quickly established herself as a threat on the floor. The rookie has seen limited playing time throughout the season as she came off an injury, but would record 11 kills, a team-leading .529 hitting percentage, and a team-high 16 digs.
 
The Varsity Blues were led by Dormann and Anna Feore, who each totalled 19.5 points in the loss. Dorman had 19 kills and an assisted block, while Feore's were divided between 15 kills, four aces, and an assisted block.
 
Dormann made sure the Mustangs were aware of why she earned her OUA East Player of the Year nod – the third of her career – by dominating the floor from the first serve. She would record eight kills throughout the set with only two errors, generating more points herself than the entire Mustang offence.
 
Western's typically efficient offence struggled to generate points against the Varsity Blues, who have established themselves as one of the OUA's most well-rounded teams. Only seven kills were recorded, with an equivalent number of errors. Part of the issue was the performance of Brianna Patrick, who was all over the court defensively.  
 
As the Mustangs struggled to regroup and adjust to the Blues' defensive coverage, Toronto would take the first set 25-14.
 
The second set began as a tightly contested battle, with Mustang standouts Gyimah and Carly Kimmett making a difference. Both had a relatively quiet opening set offensively speaking – although that was characteristic of the Western roster as a whole.
 
Toronto began to break away after the score was even across the board at 10-10, with a series of points from Feore. The Stratford, Ont. native has been one of the Blues' best attackers all season, and this match was no different. After helping her team regain the serve, Feore moved to the base line where she added an ace to her point total and helped force the Mustangs into a timeout.
 
While Western's offence more than doubled their output in the second set – going from seven points to 16 – the team was kept down by serving errors. The Mustangs would give away three points by the end of the set, with the Varsity Blues taking a 25-21 win.
 
Set three saw the Mustangs convert one of their greatest weaknesses into a strength, with Gyimah opening the set with strong serving that saw two aces give the Mustangs an early lead.
 
Western grabbed onto the momentum provided by their four-point run early in the set and rushed through to a 25-16 victory to send the match to a fourth set.
 
Veterans Veltman and Gyimah have led the team throughout the season, but newcomers Chloe Biel and Rachael Grove both made strong impressions in the third set. Biel continued subbing in to play a defensive role, while Grove was quickly becoming one of the highest scoring players on the roster despite not playing the entire match.
 
Also making a strong impression in the third set was Kristina Curcin. The NCAA transfer closed out her first season in purple and white with a dominant performance at the net, contributing to six blocks in a single set.
 
Western continued to terrorize the Varsity Blues at the net well into the fourth, with Curcin, Veltman, and Gyimah making it nearly impossible for the Blues to return anything other than a free ball. As a result, the Mustangs were able to send an easy pass up to setter Jessica Lam, who relied on Veltman to put it away and end rallies quickly.
 
The 6-2 middle didn't disappoint, and would put up four points from the attack and play a big role in the Mustang block.
 
Western was quick to bring an end to the set with yet another kill from Grove for a 25-16 win and force a fifth and deciding set.
 
Another early point run gave the Mustangs an fast lead, dominating the game at 8-1.
 
Toronto slowed down the Mustangs en-route to the win but was unable to overcome the substantial deficit, allowing Western to take the match after running through to a 15-8 win in the fifth.
 
A couple of serving errors cost the Varsity Blues both momentum and points, but it was Western's blocking that really won the set. Toronto was hitting more tentatively than they had been earlier in the match, no doubt remembering the flurry of blocks in set four that effectively neutralized their offence.
 
With the confidence of the Varsity Blues deflated and the team struggling to hit around or over blocks, the Mustangs were able to secure their fourth medal finish in as many years.