Melissa Langegger's 14 kills propelled the Mustangs as they won their season opener 3-1 on Friday night against McMaster University.

Western set the tone in the first set as they took the first 3 points and continued to dominate the set until McMaster tied it up 13-13. The Mustangs retook their lead going into the end of the set. McMaster kept the game close with a score of 23-22 for Western. A kill from Carly Kimmett, assisted by Jessica Lam, put Western up 24-22 eventually leading to them winning the set 25-22.

    After an early tied score of 3-3 in the second set, McMaster pushed the pace towards a 10-3 lead. The Mustangs fought back with kills from Rachael Grove, Kristina Curcin, Keawna Kroontje, Melissa Langegger, and Kate Van Camp. Western fell to McMaster 25-13 tying the match at 1-1.

    In the third set Western came out hot earning the first two points before charging ahead to a 10-5 lead after back to back kills from Melissa Langegger. The Mustangs had a five point lead when a big kill from Kate Van Camp allowed Western to extend their lead to 20-14 leading into the final five points of the set. Kate Van Camp then proceeded to dominate with her serves with four of the five final points resulting from her service aces. Western took a 2-1 lead in the match heading into the fourth set.

    Early in the fourth set Melissa Langegger had back to back service aces to help propel the Mustangs as they made their way towards a 10-5 lead. McMaster gained some ground closing in on the Mustangs lead until they only led 13-11. However, back to back kills from Kate Van Camp widened Western's lead to 15-11. The Mustangs entered the last part of the set leading 20-15. McMaster gained some momentum bring the set to a nail biting 22-21 lead for Western. A kill from Rachael Grove allowed Western to regain the ball. After a timeout from McMaster, Melissa Langegger's kill put Western one point away from the win. A service ace from Lexi Iggulden sealed the deal allowing Western to win the set 25-21.

    Melissa Langegger had 14 kills for the night, leading both Western and McMaster, and 4 service aces. Kristina Curcin and Rachael Grove both had 7 kills. Kate Van Camp also had a good night with 5 kills and 4 service aces. Melissa Langegger and Kate Van Camp led both teams for the most service aces for the match.

    The women head to Brock at 2:00 on Sunday to see if they can build off of their strong start to the season.