London, ON - The Mustangs and the Lancers fought hard to with a five set weekend opener taken by Windsor, alongside another win in 3 on Saturday night. The Mustangs are currently sitting 5-3 in the standings now.
GAME RECAPS
Friday, November 21
Windsor came out strong and built an early lead while the Mustangs struggled with errors that kept the gap wide. Western found some momentum midway through the set with a few clean kills, but every push was matched by the Lancers scoring right back. The Mustangs tried to close the gap late, forcing key points and tightening the score, but it wasn't enough to flip the set. Windsor closed it out 25–19 to take the opening set.
The Mustangs came out sharp and took control early, forcing the Lancers into errors to build a 9–5 lead. Western kept momentum with strong serving and consistent attacking, stretching the gap to 15–10. Windsor tried to respond, but every push was matched by the Mustangs, who continued to score cleanly and stay in rhythm. Western never let the Lancers get close again and closed out the set confidently 25–19.
The Lancers started strong with pressure at the net and quickly went up 5–2 after a run of Mustangs errors. Western tried to answer, but the Lancers kept control and stretched the lead to 8–3. The Mustangs fought back with a couple kills and an ace, yet service mistakes held them back as Windsor stayed ahead 17–12. Western pushed late and reached 20, but the Lancers stayed steady and finished the set 25–20.
The Mustangs opened the fourth set with strong swings and took the early lead, but the Lancers answered back quickly and the score stayed tight around 6–6. Both teams traded points through a mix of kills and errors, and neither side could pull away, sitting 15–15 at the midpoint. Western finally created separation with a clean run of attacks and took advantage of Windsor mistakes to go up 21–19. The Lancers pushed late, but the Mustangs stayed steady at the net and closed the set with an ace to finish 25–23.
The Lancers started the final set strong, jumping ahead 2–0 by scoring off a kill and forcing an attacking error. The Mustangs responded with a clean attack to make it 2–1, and both sides traded points early to 4–4, keeping the pressure up at the net. Windsor then went on a small run by blocking well and converting counter-attacks to build a 6–3 edge. Western fought back with a couple of kills to stay close, but the Lancers continued to control long rallies and pushed the score to 10–7. The Mustangs tried to rally behind aggressive serving, but late attacking errors hurt them while Windsor stayed consistent offensively. The Lancers closed out the final rallies firmly and took the set 15–10, winning the match in five.
"We showed a lot of fight tonight, but consistency is what wins five-set matches. We were right there in every set but now it's about turning those moments into finishes." Said head coach Jim Sage
KEY STATS
Kills - Smith, Cade (20), Silon, Nic (7), Toomes, Oliver (7)
Blocks - Silon, Nic (3.0), Homenick, Kendall (3.0), Toomes, Oliver (2.0)
Digs - Kerkhoff, Andrew (16), McGregor, Cameron (10), Jones, Michael (10)
Saturday, November 22
After a loss in 5 the night before, the Mustangs are up and ready for another chance against the Lancers.
The game didn't begin too well for the Mustangs with the Lancers up 8-5, benefitting from Westerns mistakes. At 13-8, the Mustangs asked for a timeout to try and regroup. The game was not looking good for Western with many silly errors occurring in each play. The Lancers were strategic with their plays, placing the ball in good spots and making use of Westerns many free balls. At this point, the score was 18-13. The Mustangs called a timeout at 21-14. The Lancers took the set after a crazy saved play at 25-17.
The second set was a better start for the Mustangs with a tie score of 11-11. The teams were right behind one another after each play. After an overpass kill to make it 20-18, the Mustangs asked for a timeout. The Mustangs had a great defensive play that led to a timeout from the Lancers at 22-21. With a tie score at 25-25, the tension was super high for the teams. Western then asked for a timeout after a swinging error at 26-25. After a super long set, the Lancers took the winning point at 32-30 to make it a 2-0 game.
The third set was a good start for the Mustangs with them only behind 8-7. At 11-7, Western called a timeout. There were many good rallies this set as the Mustangs fought to catch up at 16-11. The Mustangs gained a few points after a couple of nasty hits at 18-17. The score was tied again at 22 all to make it a super close game. The Lancers then called a timeout as the Mustangs tied them again at 23-23. Windsor asked for another timeout at 25-24, as the Mustangs were in the lead. Then the Mustangs called for a timeout with Windsor ahead 26-25. The Lancers won the game at 30-28 in 3 to finish off the weekend with two wins against the Mustangs.
"Not our best tonight. We know we're capable of playing better, and we'll be focused on getting back to that." Said coach Jim
KEY STATS
Kills - Smith, Cade (15), Toomes, Oliver (12), Silon, Nic (8)
Blocks - Smith, Cade (1.0), Silon, Nic (1.0), Talsma, Jayden (1.0)
Digs - Kerkhoff, Andrew (14), Smith, Cade (11), McGregor, Cameron (7)
NEXT GAME
The Mustangs are headed Nipissing next weekend for another set of good matches. Games begin on Friday, November 28 at 8:00pm.
