Toronto, ON – The Western women traveled to Toronto to face off against the Varsity Blues where they suffered a heartbreaking 3-1 loss, taking them out of the running for the Quigley Cup. 
 
The University of Toronto got off to a strong start this set, leading with 7-1 after a series of unfortunate plays by the Mustangs. Western's coaches chose this time to call for their first timeout, likely hoping to put a stop to the momentum that the Varsity Blues were building. Finally, Western managed to get back in the game after a kill by Kristina Curcin. The London team couldn't keep possession for long, sending it back to the University of Toronto, who gladly accepted. Without their head coach, the Mustangs seemed to be a bit lost, the score rising to 14-3. The Varsity Blues clearly showed up to win today with a sharp focus on both their offensive and defensive skills. After a failed serve by the University of Toronto, possession was returned to the Mustangs. Western's Rachael Grove refused to stand down today, serving up two consecutive aces, playing the court, and doing all she could to defend her team, coming up from the back row for a solo block. The Mustangs weren't able to get their hands on the ball very often this set, but when they did, they ran with it, increasing the score to 20-14 in an amazing comeback. Western made a quick player substitution; Carly Kimmett went out and Kate Van Camp came in. The Mustangs managed to create a huge turnaround this set, but ultimately the Varsity Blues were able to overcome them with 25-22. 
 
The Mustangs were fired up this set, starting things off with a small lead of 6-4. Western seemed to have taken the first half of the initial set to memorize their opponent's gameplay and was using it to their advantage now. The Varsity Blues quickly managed to catch up to the guest team and surpass them with a short lead for a moment, but Western didn't allow this for long. With the scoreboard showing 14-12 for the Mustangs, the University of Toronto called for their first timeout of the second set. Varsity Blues' errors were piling up this time around; if they had any hope of a second set victory, they would really need to clean up their play. One of Western's All-Star players, Melissa Langegger was on fire this set; every time the ball came to her, she managed to do what she needed to do. With the score sitting at 20-14, things were looking good for the visiting team. The Mustangs were looking to end things before the University of Toronto had a chance at a further comeback. Western's Kimmett stepped into the service position and snagged her team their last needed point, finishing this set up with 25-16. 
 
The Varsity Blues came into the third set hot, quickly racking up six points before Western could manage one. The Mustangs seemed to have carried no momentum from their previous victory over to the beginning of the third set. With the score sitting at 13-7 for the University of Toronto, possession was handed to Western. The technical timeout was taken once the Varsity Blues reached the signifying score of sixteen points. At this time, the Mustangs were only facing a three-point deficit; they definitely were not to be counted out of this game yet. Just in time, Western's Jessica Lam dropped a service ace to tie up the score at 18-18. The Varsity Blues' coaches chose then to signal for a timeout. Things were getting loud in the Toronto facility as both teams crept closer and closer to that magic number. With the score sitting at 24-23 for the Mustangs, the University of Toronto took back possession – an event that could change the game. The Varsity Blues would be the first to reach twenty-five points, but the Mustangs still stood a chance as they sat at twenty-four. In a heartbreaking ending due to a Western miscommunication, the University of Toronto easily dropped the set-winning point, ending the third with 26-24. 
 
Working off the energy gained during the third set, the University of Toronto racked up a fair amount of points early on. After two Varsity Blues' service errors, the score sat at 6-3. Western's Kate Ferguson brought the heat during her time in the service position, earning enough points to tie the game up at 11-11. For the first time this set, Western copped a small lead with 15-13, finally playing like a team with their whole season on the line. Another first for this set, the Mustangs' coaches decided to bring out Chloe Biel to take over the serve. With the scoreboard showing 20-16 for the Varsity Blues, Western's chance at victory was slipping – both for this fourth set and the entire game. After a miscommunication incredibly similar to the one that took place during the end of the third set, Western's coaches decided it was time to rally the troops, signaling for a timeout. Two points from victory, the University of Toronto regained possession of the serve. In the blink of an eye, the Varsity Blues racked up the couple points they needed and scooped the fourth set out from under the Mustangs with 25-20, taking the game with an end score of 3-1. 
 
While Western's quest for the Quigley Cup may have ended with this game, they will go on to battle it out for the bronze position on Saturday, March 7^th at 4:00 PM.