Box Score LONDON, ON – The Mustangs fought hard on Saturday evening at Alumni Hall, but couldn't quite top the Warriors as they accepted a 2-3 loss.
 
The Warriors started the evening off with a serve from Mackenzie Vallee, but didn't keep possession long as Western snagged the first point of the evening off a skillful, delicate tip that the opposition overestimated. Both teams were on high alert, following each other point by point until the Mustangs were finally able to break the pattern as the score reached 8-6. As usual, Western's Melissa Langegger was unstoppable in both her offensive and defensive skills as she landed multiple kills. The Mustangs' focus seemed to falter a bit as some messy plays were made and communication was lacking; head coach Melissa Bartlett called a timeout shortly after the score rose to 12-19 for Waterloo. Western's Chloe Biel was rotated in just before the serve as Rachael Grove took a break on the sidelines. The Warriors had executed an impressive seven aces at this point; Western was catching up, but they'd have to tighten things up if they had any hope of overcoming Waterloo at this stage. The scoreboard showed 18-23 as Western's Brooklyn Bere sent a powerful serve raining down on the Warriors. Unfortunately, Western couldn't quite get themselves organized in time to take the first set as it came to a close with a final score of 18-25.
 
The Mustangs started off the second set in a much more cohesive manner; Kristina Curcin and Kate Van Camp were moving like shadows on the front line, easily cancelling out a number of Waterloo's offensive attempts. The score rose from a seemingly inescapable tie as Western managed to pull away with 11-8. The Warriors gained possession after an accidental fumble by Mustang Rachael Grove. As the score climbed to 12-13, a Western timeout was called; head coach Melissa Bartlett glanced up at the scoreboard, but didn't seem worried as she spoke to her team. The Warriors seemed to be getting a bit overzealous in their attacks, quickly turning their small advantage over Western into a tie with 18-18. At this point, either team could have easily scooped the second set. Western's Rachael Grove had found her groove as one of her infamously powerful spikes landed amongst the seemingly stunned Warriors and the Mustangs gained their twenty-fourth point. Soon after, one of the Mustangs' attacks landed on the lines and narrowly earned them this set as it ended with 25-23. 
 
Waterloo seemed tired as they returned to the court for the third set whereas the Mustangs had obviously been reinvigorated with their previous set victory. For the first time tonight, Western refused to give their opposition a chance to catch up as they quickly gained a considerable lead with 10-5. Western's Kate Ferguson was to thank for a number of impressive plays this set, pausing to celebrate with her team quickly after each point she earned. As the score rose to 16-14, Waterloo's head coach Richard Eddy called his second timeout of the set, hoping to hone his team's focus in before it was too late for them to take this one. Eddy looked upon his team disapprovingly as Western managed an impressive streak of points, most of which were the result of some poor calls by the Warriors. The Mustangs proved that they didn't intend to go down without a fight tonight as they helped themselves to the third set with a final score of 25-16. 
 
Neither team was messing around as the fourth set of the night began. Waterloo and Western began to battle it out in a point-by-point war until the Warriors managed to gain some momentum and push their lead to 6-9. Western's head coach Bartlett quickly called a timeout to reel her team in after a series of missed opportunities and frantic attempts by her players. The Warriors managed another five points before Western could regain possession courtesy of an out-of-bounds serve by Waterloo's Serena Otshudi. Western's opposition was in fine form as the score rose to 10-20 with a Mustangs comeback unlikely at this point in the set. After a Waterloo hitting violation, Western's Karly Kimmett was up to serve for the first time tonight. With only one point needed for the Warriors to claim the fourth set, the Mustangs didn't seem like they were about to give up easily as they helped themselves to four consecutive points before Waterloo was able to shut this one down with 18-25. 
 
The atmosphere in Alumni Hall was electric as the fifth set began. Western's head coach Melissa Bartlett could be heard encouraging her team from the sidelines as the score sat at 5-11, reminding the women that they only needed one more set victory to take the win. Waterloo maintained their lead, but were still having some trouble with power. While Western was able to earn a couple more points, the Warriors ultimately managed to beat them to the finish line as they ended the game with 9-15 and excitedly accepted their 2-3 win. 
 
The Western women will head to Thunderbay to face Lakehead University on Saturday, November 9^th at 2:00. Cheer the Mustangs on from home by tuning into the livestream here.