Box Score LONDON, ON -- The Western Mustangs gained an effortless 3-0 victory against the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday afternoon while over 1000 elementary school students screamed from the stands of Alumni Hall.
 
"The energy from the crowd was second to none," noted Western's head coach Melissa Bartlett after the game. "That was the first opportunity we've had to have a school-day game so that was very exciting for us."
 
At times, the magnitude of the crowd was almost too much to handle; it was not uncommon to see someone with hands clapped over their ears and an awe-struck look on their face. However, the audience's excitement ultimately paid off as it seeped onto the court and fueled the players' confidence.
 
Standing at 6'2, Western's Kelsey Veltman was something of a spectacle this game, often not even needing to jump to put down an unstoppable attack on the offense. As for the opposition, Lakehead's Rheanna Geisel played a great game, leading her team with ten kills by the end of three sets.
 
The crowd's energy mirrored that of the Mustangs from the beginning as they pulled ahead in what seemed like the blink of an eye with 14-7. Carly Kimmett, Kristina Curcin, and Melissa Langegger put in work to stop the majority of Lakehead's attempts from finding their way over the net. Audibly frustrated with the results thus far, Thunderwolves' head coach Craig Barclay received a yellow card for arguing with the referees. Allowing only a few more points from the opposition, Western claimed the first set, finishing with a score of 25-11.
 
If it were even possible, the spectators continued to grow even more enthusiastic and most were on their feet to begin the second set. Western seemed to have the Thunderwolves figured out, but Lakehead coach Craig Barclay continued to swap players, no doubt looking to find a combination that could match the Mustangs. Unfortunately, Barclay's attempts were futile against Western's flawless communication and ability to adapt to any changes he made. Holding a 10 point lead for much of the second set, Western claimed the match just as easily as the first and ended it 25-14.
 
The Mustangs' confidence did not falter into the third set; in a matter of minutes they were leading with 5-0. Lakehead took their second timeout early on with the score sitting at 8-0; they came back from this pause with an energy that allowed them two points as the score sat at 11-2. This momentum did not last as the Mustangs reclaimed possession of the ball. Lakehead's frustrations were showing as multiple balls sailed out of bounds as the result of too much power. With the score at 19-6, Lakehead gained back the serve, but not for long. Western's Kristina Curcin put the ball down on top of Lakehead's blockers to claim yet another point for her team. Shortly after, the purple and white gained their final point off a Lakehead serve and took the final set with a score of 25-12.
 
"Lakehead is really good at making big adjustments to their game" Western's Kelsey Veltman commented after the game. "We could be playing a completely different team tomorrow."

With little time to celebrate, the Mustangs will be back at Alumni Hall in just over 12 hours to play Lakehead again on February, 2 2019 at 2:00PM.