Box Score LONDON, ON – In their home-opening game, the Mustangs managed to take down the Gryphons in a 3-2 victory after five incredibly close sets. 
 
 
Mustang Melissa Langegger helped herself to a whopping 20 kills this game and served up numerous irreversible balls. For Guelph, Lisa Wedel lead her team with eleven kills and ended the game with a .321 hitting percentage. 
 
Western and Guelph started the night off with an intense give-and-take as onlookers and players alike quickly realized how equal in both skill and strategy the two teams were. The Mustangs soon managed to push away from their opposition as the score rose to 13-9. Western continued to maintain a comfortable lead, but gave away a few easy points to Guelph as a result of some overzealous attacks landing out-of-bounds. As the score rose to 20-14, it did not seem like Guelph would be able to make a comeback against the Mustangs this set. After an aggressive attack from Western's Kate Van Camp sent two of Guelph's players colliding directly into each other, Western conquered the first set with an end score of 25-17.
 
The second set began very similarly to the first as Western and Guelph took turns landing attacks. The teams continued this give-and-take until the score rose to 10-9 thanks to a powerful serve from Melissa Langegger that just couldn't be stopped. Mustang Rachel Grove's merciless spike came in clutch this set, responsible for numerous points. Guelph refused to give up and eventually managed to catch up to Western with 16-16. With a set as close as this one, every play was crucial. The teams remained neck-and-neck for almost the entirety of the game until Western finally put a stop to their opposition. With the greatest point difference seen this set, the Mustangs acquire a final score of 25-19.
 
Western snatched the first point off the top of this set in a controversial out-of-bounds call by the referee. It was Guelph that broke the tie this set, pulling away with a four-point lead as the score paused at 5-10. Western managed to take possession for a very brief amount of time until a service error forced them to give it up. The Gryphons finally seemed to be warmed up as they continued their streak with four more points. After a timeout called by a Western's stressed-looking head coach Melissa Bartlett, the Mustangs seemed to gain momentum. In a short streak, they managed to accumulate five points; the crowd was growing rowdier as the possibility of a three-set Mustang win came back to life. With the score at 16-19, Guelph's head coach Paul Funk called his second timeout of the set. Whatever he said to his players worked as Guelph quickly scooped the final six points they needed to claim their first set victory of the night with 17-25. 
 
Energy was high throughout Alumni Hall as the fourth set began. At this point, it was anyone's game and both teams wanted it just as bad. The teams were tied at 11-11 as the Gryphons gained possession of the serve, but the Mustangs refused to let them hang onto it. After an effortless kill by Kristina Curcin, Western stole the ball back. Both teams were visibly exhausted at this point, but neither one of them were about to call it quits. After a service error on behalf of Guelph's Ashley Vang, things started to look hopeful for the Mustangs. The score was tied up at 21-21 and the audience was the loudest it had been all night as the end of the set closed in. With 23-22, Western's Melissa Langegger sent an effortless serve over, but the Mustangs just couldn't manage to hang onto possession. Guelph's head coach Paul Funk contributed to the tension in the gym as he called a timeout with the score showing 24-25. The Gryphons snuck one more ball over to take the fourth set.
 
The fifth and final set started off hot. With both Western and Guelph holding onto two set victories, the outcome of the game was riding on the next fifteen points. The score sat at 9-7 as Kate Van Camp delivered a serve that was just a touch too powerful, landing the opposition a point. As Guelph took possession, they managed to tie the score up with 10-10. Again, Van Camp proved to be an asset as she was able to recover a ball that rolled off of Melissa Langegger and subsequently allow her teammates to snag a necessary point. The score sat at 14-10. Kristina Curcin sealed Western's victory with an ace.
 
The Western women will head to Waterloo where they will play the Warriors on Saturday, November 2^nd at 6:00. If you can't make it to the game, remember to tune into the livestream here.