LONDON, ON – In their last game of 2019, the Mustangs defeated Nipissing University in a 3-1 victory on Saturday, November 23^rd at Alumni Hall.
 
Western's Kate Ferguson played an impressive game, reaching eleven total kills and ending the night with a .556 hitting percentage. Similarly, Mustang Rachael Grove racked up six kills, a respectable number considering she joined the game partway through the third set. For the opposition, Shayla Kessler led the Lakers with thirteen kills and forty-one total attempts. 
 
Western set the tone for the night early on with two prompt kills by Carly Kimmett followed by a service ace by Melissa Langegger. Nipissing University's head coach Marc LaRochelle signaled for his first timeout as the score reached 5-0. The Lakers came out of their huddle ready to play, earning their first two points of the night. Western's Kate Van Camp earned the Mustangs their ninth point in a show of independence after Nipissing could only watch her one-hit play drop to the floor, seemingly stunned. The buzzer sounded to signal the technical timeout in no time, the scoreboard pausing at 16-10. Nipissing kicked it into high gear towards the end of the set, but their efforts were futile. In less than twenty-five minutes, the Mustangs locked down the first set with 25-18. 
 
The Lakers snatched the lead off the top of the second set, but couldn't hold onto it for long as Western promptly knocked them down with 4-2. A controversial call put the game on pause for a moment as the officials deliberated, ultimately deciding that what had initially been a Western point would be awarded to Nipissing. The Mustangs were not phased by the decision, even as the Lakers managed to pull ahead at 11-13. With ample time to flip the scoreboard, Western's head coach Melissa Bartlett decided to call for the first timeout of the second set. Despite a two-point advantage, the Lakers' communication was lacking; too many Western points were the result of players failing to claim responsibility for a play as they watched the ball fall. While Nipissing maintained a small yet consistent lead for the majority of the second set, the Mustangs finally managed to meet them in a 20-20 tie. After a net violation by one of her players, Western's coach Bartlettcalled for her second timeout, likely hoping to provide her team with some last-ditch motivation before the set came to a close. Unfortunately, the Lakers refused to back down this time around, claiming the second set with 23-25. 
 
With both teams having secured a victory at this point in the night, the outcome of the third set couldn't be assumed. After a Nipissing serve flew out-of-bounds, the Mustangs gained the edge that they needed with the score resting briefly at 7-6. From there, Western's Ferguson assumed a solo defensive position, shutting out a Nipissing attempt while simultaneously earning an independent kill. The Mustangs continued along in the finest of form, increasing their lead to 13-10. The action was put on pause once again as officials deliberated about the result of a sketchy play; in a game this close, every last point was imperative. The two teams briefly met with 15-15 before the Mustangs gained a one-point advantage and the technical timeout was called. Western's coach Bartlett hung onto both of her available timeouts this set while Nipissing signaled to take advantage of their last. Western's Grove entered the court for the first time during the third set and played an irreplaceable role in her team's eventual 25-17 set victory.
 
Nipissing returned to the court for the fourth set seeming exhausted while the Mustangs had been energized by their previous win. Western achieved a five-point advantage in no time as the scoreboard showed 10-5. Though the Lakers were attempting to keep up, it was uncertain whether this would matter or not; the previous sets showed the first team to gain a substantial lead maintaining it to their eventual victory. As the score paused at 19-11, Nipissing signaled for a timeout. The Lakers were motivated enough by their huddle to snag four more points before a service error allowed Western to reclaim possession. With 23-16, a Nipissing comeback would be extremely unlikely at this point. Western went on to confirm this as they helped themselves to their last two necessary points, ending the set with 25-16 and taking home a 3-1 victory. 
 
Western will return in the new year when they travel to Toronto to play Ryerson University on Friday, January 10^th at 6:00PM. If you can't make the drive, show your Mustang pride by tuning in to the live-stream here.