London, ON - On Saturday night the Western Mustangs faced the Waterloo Warriors at Alumni Hall where the Mustangs earned their first win of the season 3-1.
Evan Cranshaw led the Mustangs in kills with 14 for the night while Jackson Bere was right behind him with 10. Amit Sayal led the team with 3 service aces and Nathan Phelps led in digs with 12.
The Mustangs took the first point of the night, but the Warriors were quick to tie it up. Waterloo gained a 5-3 lead, but a kill from Jackson Bere regained control for the Mustangs and put the ball in Amit Sayal's hands. A large double block and a big dig from Nathan Phelps allowed Western to tie the set 5-5. Back to back kills from Jackson Bere and Evan Cranshaw, combined with impressive serving from Amit Sayal, allowed Western to gain a 10-5 lead over Waterloo. Some powerful serves from the Warriors allowed them to tie the set 12-12. The set became a battle from there as neither team was able to gain a substantial lead over the other and it stood at a 18-18 tie heading into the late part of the set. A kill from Ryan Scott gave the Mustangs a 20-19 lead. However, the Warriors managed to gain a 23-21 lead soon after. Waterloo went on to claim the set 25-21.
The teams split the first two points of the second set leading to an early 1-1 tie. Neither team was able to gain a comfortable lead in the set as the score stood at 8-8. A strong serve from Brady Fidler allowed the Mustangs the first two point lead of the game with a 14-12 score. A kill from Jackson Bere recovered the two point lead for Western, but Waterloo was quick to tie the game at 15. Coming out of a time out Western took control of the game leading to a 18-15 score. Waterloo began to close the gap, but a kill from Amit Sayal regained control for the Mustangs heading into the end of the set. Strong serving from Evan Cranshaw allowed Western a 21-17 lead. Waterloo answered back and the set was tied at 22. With the score standing at 24-23 the Warriors' Jacob Nesbitt had a serving error resulting in a 25-23 win for the Mustangs. The match stood tied at 1-1.
The Mustangs came out hot in the third set taking the first 3 points and quickly gaining a 5-1 lead. Waterloo closed the gap to a 7-5 lead for Western. Evan Cranshaw won a battle over the net allowing Western to extend their lead to 10-6. The Warriors began to gain some momentum as they shortened Western's lead to 12-11. Western regained control of the set as they led 16-13 heading into a timeout. A kill from Evan Cranshaw, a service ace from Amit Sayal, and a smart tip from Josiah Esau allowed Western a 20-14 lead going into the last points of the set. Waterloo went on to add 5 straight points shortening Western's lead to 20-19. A dig from Nathan Phelps continued a long rally, but Waterloo scored the point leading to a 22-20 lead for Western. Amit Sayal's key kill put Western up 24-22. A kill from Waterloo's Nolan Spencer tied the game at 24. Amit Sayal scored a point off of Waterloo's big double block putting Western up 25-24. The Mustangs went on to win the set 26-24 and gained the lead in the match 2-1.
Waterloo took the first two points of the fourth set, but a serving error put the ball in the Mustangs' hands. Western then went on to tie the set at 3. A powerful kill from Jackson Bere awarded the Mustangs their first lead of the set at 4-3. The set was tied at 5 when Western began to charge ahead to a 8-5 lead. With some key digs and big hits the Mustangs went on to extend their lead to 11-6. After a service error from Waterloo, Western began to widen their lead further with a 16-10 score. Waterloo struggled against Evan Cranshaw's serving, but managed to limit the damage with a well placed hit. Rhys Matheson was substituted in to serve and his strong performance led the Mustangs to a 20-11 lead. A kill from Jackson Bere led to a 10 point lead for the Mustangs and a score of 22-12. Brady Fidler's powerful kill brought the Mustangs within two points of their first win of the season. A kill from Jackson Bere brought the score to 24-13 and Evan Cranshaw's kill won the set 25-13 allowing Western to win their first game of the season 3-1.
The men face the University of Guelph on the road at 3:00 on November 16th.
