Box Score LONDON, ON – After four consecutive wins, the Western women were stopped in their tracks on Saturday, November 22^nd when they fell to York University in a tough 1-3 set loss. 
 
Western's Kristina Curcin left her heart on the court, ending the game with a total of fifteen kills and an impressive .583 hitting ratio. In a definitive show of perseverance, York University's Olivia Kim ended the game with thirty-six total attempts, leading her team with thirteen kills. 
 
York University started the night off strong with a series of powerful serves that aided them to a primary lead of 1-6. Western's Head Coach Melissa Bartlett signaled for her first timeout only four minutes into the initial set, likely hoping to redirect her team's focus as early on as possible. The Lions continued to increase their lead as the Mustangs suffered a number of net and court violations, permitting the score to rise to 9-15. The first set's technical timeout began after an overzealous serve by Western's Jessica Lam allowed the Lions their sixteenth point of the night. York's Aleksandra Steins stepped up to serve with the score sitting at 14-21; she helped her team to three more points before a topsy-turvy hit allowed Western to take back possession. Unfortunately, it was too late in the set for the Mustangs to make a comeback as the Lions helped themselves to the first set with 16-25. 
 
Both teams seemed to have each other figured out by the time the second set began. Western managed to keep up with the Lions for the first half of this set, refusing to be left far behind as the score reached 11-12. The Mustangs were able to overcome York for a very brief amount of time thanks to a streak of beautiful serves by libero Chloe Biel, but the teams ultimately met in a tie at 15-15. Western and York seemed to match each other in skill at this point in the night, but the latter had a definitive edge when it came to consistency. With the scoreboard showing 19-23, Western's Coach Bartlett called for her last timeout of the set. After a York service error, the hopes for a Western comeback grew, but were doused just as quickly; the Lions snagged the last few points they needed to take the second set with 21-25.
 
The Mustangs seemed energized as they returned to the court for the third set, switching things up with a massive initial lead of 11-4. Western's Kate Van Camp stepped up to serve after Carly Kimmett landed a beautiful ace for the Mustangs. Still trailing behind with 15-7, the Lions looked relieved as they were able to reclaim possession shortly after. Returning to the court after the third set's technical timeout, the Mustangs continued to increase their distance from York. The Lions appeared to be getting tired, unable to move their feet fast enough to get under a number of Western's attacks. With an astonishing fourteen-point lead, the Mustangs allowed themselves a small celebration after snagging the third set with a final score of 25-11. 
 
Western appeared adamant on another win as they quickly helped themselves to five points off the top of this set. York continued to gun for first place, but needed to hone their focus if they had any hope of overcoming Western as numerous hit violations forced them to surrender possession. The Mustangs let their guard down a bit prematurely, allowing the Lions to surpass them, but not for long; the teams met in a tie with 17-17. York's head coach Jennifer Neilson commended her team for their great defensive work as they managed to slow down the Mustangs, eventually stopping them completely, and gaining the advantage with 20-22. After a quick player substitution, York scooped their last necessary point to end the fourth set with 22-25, claiming an overall 1-3 victory.
 
The Western women return to Alumni Hall tomorrow to take on Nipissing University at 6:00PM. Show your purple pride in person or tune into the livestream of the game here.