Box Score Windsor, ON – On Saturday, February 8^th at 12:00 PM, Western defended their first-place seat in the OUA West standings when they shutout the University of Windsor in what was their last regular-season, road game.
 
The home team kicked the afternoon off on a less than ideal note after their first serve sailed out of bounds. Western happily accepted possession of the ball as the teams began their ascent to 25 points. Windsor managed to pull ahead by two points, but Western's Kate Ferguson put a stop to their potential reign after a clever tip; the score sat at 5-3 for the Lancers. Sitting at second in the league for most service aces, Western's Melissa Langegger stepped in to perform her first serve of the afternoon. Unfortunately, a play by a Windsor rookie put a stop to Langegger's time in the service position as the Mustangs failed to return her hit. The two teams met in a 12-12 tie until Western flipped the script and overcame the opposition for the first time that afternoon. As soon as the score reached 14-12 for the Mustangs, Windsor's coach decided to signal for their first available timeout, likely hoping to interrupt Western's service streak. Alas, the Lancers' strategy did not work out as planned as the Mustangs continued to increase their lead to 17-14. Windsor was not going down without a fight though, earning three consecutive points and tying up the score once again. With no significant lead in sight, both teams held an equal opportunity to come out of the first set victorious. Audience members could tell how badly each team wanted to beat the other to the finish line; the rallies grew longer and longer as the end of the first set grew closer. With the scoreboard showing 25-24 for the Mustangs, Windsor signaled for their last timeout. With no remaining breaks, the teams would have no choice but to play through until the match point. Soon after, Western gained their final necessary point and snagged the first set with an end score of 26-24.
 
With one set victory already under their belt, Western returned to the court focused and ready for whatever Windsor might throw at them. Mustang Jessica Lam began the second set with a couple beautiful serves, initiating two points for her team. Windsor met Western in a brief tie at 2-2 before the Mustangs surged ahead, gaining a four-point lead with 6-2. The Mustangs continued to move forward as 10 points separated the two teams – a deficit that would be incredibly difficult for the Lancers to recover from. Already, Windsor had used up both of their available timeouts for the second set in a desperate attempt to stop Western's momentum. With the score pausing at 16-5 for the Mustangs, the two teams formed their huddles during the technical timeout. Immediately following that, Windsor gained their first point in a while, but lost possession soon after Western's Langegger returned the ball with a crafty tip that sent the Lancers scrambling. The game was put on hold while Windsor completed a double substitution, the score resting at 18-10 for Western. The Lancers seemed to choose this moment to kick it into high gear, successfully chipping away at the decreasing score deficit ahead of them. Using Windsor's blockers, Western's Kate Van Camp made an attempt at a kill before ducking after its return to reap the benefits of an out-of-bounds play; the Mustangs couldn't have chosen a better moment to reclaim possession of the ball. In a flash, Western racked up the remaining points necessary for their second set win and put a stop to Windsor's attempted comeback with 25-15. 
 
The Mustangs helped themselves to the first point of the third set after one of Langegger's signature serves. After Western's Rachael Grove claimed her eighth kill of the afternoon, the score rose to 6-4; this set was looking up to mimic the back-and-forth nature of the first. Both teams seemed to be lacking energy as the third set began to unfold – many points resulting from service errors and out-of-bounds plays. After a strategic hit by Western's Ferguson, the score rose to 16-10 and the technical timeout was taken, a break that both teams appeared to need. Western returned to the court seemingly reinvigorated, quickly racking up a number of points. With only five points separating the Mustangs from a three-set sweep, the Lancers were desperate to make their comeback as the scoreboard showed 20-16. Finally, Western put a stop to Windsor's streak, reclaiming possession of the serve. The score rested at 22-18 for the Mustangs as Windsor's coach signaled to the referees for his remaining timeout, likely hoping to inspire one final push from his players. After a short serve by the Lancers, Western completed their shutout, concluding the final set with 25-19. 
 
The Western women will head back to London for their second game versus the University of Windsor on Friday, February 14^th at 6:00 PM. You can support the Mustangs in person at Alumni Hall or watch the game's live stream here.