London, ON – The Mustangs and Marauders split a weekend doubleheader with McMaster taking the opener Friday night 3-1, but Western responded with a 3-1 win of their own on Saturday. The Mustangs sit 3- 3 through the first three weekends of the season.
GAME RECAPS
Friday, November 14
Western started the first set strong and jumped out to an early lead after forcing a few mistakes on the other side. They kept the momentum for most of the set with steady serving and clean swings. Things shifted late when McMaster went on a run and Western couldn't slow it down. Western fought hard to tie it at 24–24 but couldn't finish it off in the final moments. The Marauders took the set 26–24.
The Mustangs stayed close with the Marauders early in the second set, but too many serving and hitting mistakes kept Western from taking control. McMaster slowly pulled ahead by winning the longer rallies and making things difficult at the net. Western tried to push back, but every time the Mustangs gained momentum the Marauders answered immediately. The gap got bigger late in the set and Western couldn't recover. McMaster won the set 25–17.
The Marauders had an early lead in the third set. Western started to settle in and slowly closed the gap by getting the ball more consistently and putting pressure back on McMaster. Midway through the set the Mustangs took control with strong serving and cleaner swings that finally pushed them in front. Western kept things steady from there, winning the long rallies and not letting the Marauders go on another run. The Mustangs finished the set 25–20.
The Mustangs started the fourth set well and grabbed an early lead with strong serving and good pressure at the net. The Marauders quickly pushed back and went on a long run that Western couldn't stop, which created a big gap in scores. The Mustangs kept fighting and earned a few solid points to stay in, but McMaster continued to finish key points and keep control. Western tried to build some momentum late, but there was too much ground to make up. The Marauders took the set 25–15 and won 3-1.
KEY STATS
Kills - Emma Buntic (11), Ava Ebert (9), Kendra McEwen (8)
Aces - Kendra McEwen (3), Ava Coonfer (2), Nyla Tukker (2)
Digs - Madeline Pelosi (21), Toni Wilson (14), Nyla Tukker (11)
Saturday, November 15
After a tough loss to the Marauders last night, the Mustangs are back on the court ready to roll.
The game didn't start off too well for the Mustangs, with an immediate gap in the score at 10-4, leading to a timeout for Western. After a couple of sneaky plays by McMaster, Western called their second timeout at 13-4. McMaster was doing really well this set with a 22-7 lead. The Mustangs were struggling to come back after a few attacks and blocks from the Marauders. Western managed to bring in a few points near the end of the set with nice serves at 9-24. McMaster took the first set at 25-10.
The second set began much better for the Mustangs with a 5-2 lead from a few service aces and a crazy hit. Western was working to keep the leverage, although the Marauders were working on a comeback at 10-8. The Mustangs were doing well with a few nasty hits resulting in a timeout from McMaster at 14-11. The teams were tied at 16-16 after some long rallies. The end of the set stayed tight until the Mustangs got two hits to bring them up 22-20, making the Marauders take a timeout. Western ended up calling a timeout after a few errors at 24-23 to try and finish the set. The Mustangs ended up taking the set at 25-23, making it a 1-1 game.
The third set started with the teams right behind one another at 6-5 McMaster. The Mustangs began to catch up to the Marauders at 9-8 from their serves and consistent hits. At 14-11 the Marauders called a timeout to make up for their errors. This set had a lot of back and forth between the teams. The Marauders included lots of sneaky plays like setter dumps and short tips at 17-16 Western. Once the Marauders got to 22-21, the Mustangs called a timeout. Western was doing really good and managed to get up 24-22, resulting in a timeout from McMaster. The Mustangs took the set 25-22 to make it a 2-1 game.
"We reviewed what systems and plays we wanted to run and executed that better today than yesterday." said Emma Buntic
The fourth set began well for the teams with a close score of 6-5 for the Marauders. The Mustangs fought hard and had a few nasty hits in the long rallies that occurred. At this point, the score was 12-9 Western, and the Marauders ended up calling a timeout. The Mustangs were up 16-10 after a service run, and McMaster asked for another timeout. Things were looking good for Western with an 18-11 lead. McMaster began to catch up, benefiting from Western's errors at 20-16. This led to a timeout from Western. The Mustangs took the set at 25-20 to secure the win 3-1.
"They played exceptionally well, and I was proud that we kept our chins up and stayed with the game plan." said Mustangs Head Coach Melissa Bartlett
KEY STATS
Kills – Nyla Tukker (15), Emma Buntic (12), Lael Harrison (7)
Aces – Emma Buntic (4), Ava Coonfer (1), Karly Vrbanac (1)
Digs – Madeline Pelosi (11), Ava Coonfer (9), Lael Harrison (8)
NEXT GAME
The Mustangs host their final home weekend of the 2025 portion of the season, starting Friday, November 21, when the Windsor Lancers come to Alumni Hall. Game time is set for 6:00 pm. Tickets are available at WesternMustangs.ca/Tickets, and Western students get free admission with a valid Western ONECard.
