London, ON - The Western Mustangs faced off the Queen's Gaels on Friday night at Alumni Hall. After four hard fought sets the Mustangs fell to the Gaels 3-1.
Adam Boljkovac led both teams in kills with 18 for the night while Evan Cranshaw led the Mustangs with 11. Brady Fidler, Gianfranco Sartor, and Jackson Bere led both teams in service aces while Nathan Phelps led the Mustangs in digs.
The Mustangs took an early 5-2 lead in the first set after a big double block from the Mustangs and some strong serving from Ryan Scott. The Gaels were quick to answer back as they took the lead with a score of 7-6. A big kill from Jackson Bere tied the score at 7, but a net violation gave the Gaels the lead 9-7. The Mustangs tied the score at 10 before taking the lead 11-10. The set became a battle as neither team was able to gain a comfortable lead over the other. A massive kill from Ryan Scott tied the set at 13, but the battle continued as the Gaels answered back. The Mustangs led 16-15 heading into the technical time out but Queen's was quick to tie it back up. The Gaels began to gain a more sizeable lead as they were up 19-16 heading into a Western timeout. Queen's continued to lead 21-18 as they entered the late part of the set, but a kill from Evan Cranshaw gave Western the serve. A smart dump from Josiah Esau, followed by a big block from Evan Cranshaw and a massive triple block from the Mustangs tied the set at 22. Western went on to take the lead 23-22, but Queen's tied it back up. Another big block from the Mustangs brought the set to 24-23, but the Gaels went on to win the set 28-26 taking a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Mustangs came out hot in the second set as they charged ahead to a 6-1 lead over the Gaels. Big blocks from the Mustangs combined with powerful serving and massive kills allowed them to control the early part of the set. Another big block from the Mustangs allowed them to extend their lead to 11-4. The Gaels gained the serve, but a kill from Ryan Scott put the ball back in Western hands. The Mustangs continued to dominate the set as they extended their lead to 14-6 with kills from Evan Cranshaw and Gianfranco Sartor. An impressive back set from the libero Nathan Phelps led to a massive kill from Brady Fidler allowing the Mustangs to lead 16-6 heading into the technical timeout. A great dig from Josiah Esau kept a long rally alive allowing Western to maintain control as they headed into the late part of the set. A smart tip from Jackson Bere brought the score to 21-10 and a service ace from Brady Fidler extended the lead further to 22-10. A dump from Josiah Esau followed by kills from Evan Cranshaw and Brady Fidler finished out the set with a 25-12 victory for the Mustangs tying the match at 1.
The Mustangs struggled to find their rhythm early in the third set as the Gaels took a 8-3 lead. A dump from Josiah Esau gave Western the serve with a score of 9-4 following a Western timeout. A big kill from Evan Cranshaw brought the set back within four with a score of 10-6. After another kill from Evan Cranshaw brought the score to 12-8 as Jack Cochran was substituted in to serve. The Gaels struggled to defend against Jack Cochran's serves allowing the Mustangs to shorten Queen's lead to 12-10. The Gaels led the set 16-13 heading into the technical timeout, but Western was quick to shorten their lead after a solo block from Josiah Esau. A kill from Gianfranco Sartor gave Western the serve with the score standing at 20-16 for the Gaels. Another kill from Gianfranco Sartor followed by a double block from Jackson Bere and Brady Fidler brought the score to 21-18. The Gaels went on to win the set 25-20 taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
Unlike the previous two sets, the early part of the fourth set was a battle as the score stood tied at 2. The Gaels began to widen their lead to 6-4 before the Mustangs tied the set at 6 with a kill from Jackson Bere followed by a Gael's attacking error. A kill from Evan Cranshaw tied the set again at 7. Josiah Esau won a battle over the net once again tying the set at 8. Big kills from Gianfranco Sartor and Brady Fidler allowed the Mustangs to tie the set at 11 as the set remained a close battle between the teams. After a kill from Gianfranco Sartor to allow the Mustangs to tie the set at 15, Jack Cochran was substituted in to serve. However, it was the Gaels that led 16-15 heading into the technical timeout. After a long rally the Mustangs gained their first lead of the set 17-16. The Gaels were quick to tie it up, but a kill from Jackson Bere gave the Mustangs a 18-17 lead. Queen's managed to regain control as they lead 20-19 heading into the final points of the set. A dump from Josiah Esau followed by a service ace from Jackson Bere allowed Western to tie the set at 22. It wasn't enough to stop the Gaels as they went on to win the set 25-23 taking the match 3-1.
The men are back at home tomorrow night where they will face the Royal Military College of Canada. The game is set to start at 8:00pm at Alumni Hall.
