St. Catharines, ON – The Mustangs opened the weekend against Brock with a 3-1 win, but dropped the back half of the meetings with a 3-0 loss against the Badgers.
GAME RECAPS
Friday, October 31
Western started strong, jumping out to an early lead thanks to a few Brock errors and steady play at the net. The Mustangs kept the pressure on with solid serving and clean attacks that forced Brock into a quick timeout. Even with a couple of service mistakes, Western stayed in control and kept the energy up. Brock had a short push late, but Western finished it off with a confident run to take the set 25–19.
The second set started evenly with both sides trading points off quick kills and service errors. Western started to pull ahead after a strong block and a serviced ace that gave them the leverage. Brock pushed back with a few solid serves and smart plays at the net, forcing Western into a timeout halfway. The Mustangs regrouped and stayed composed down the stretch, using cleaner passing and a late service ace to close it out. Western took the set 25–23, making it a 2-0 game.
Brock came out more focused in the third set, taking advantage of a few Western errors to grab an early lead. The Mustangs tried to push back with strong blocking and an ace to stay close, but Brock's serving was really good. Two service aces gave the Badgers some breathing room as Western struggled to find consistency in their passing. Even after a timeout, the Mustangs were not able to close the gap after so many errors. Brock took the set 25–17 to make it 2-1.
Western came out strong again in the fourth, getting ahead early with a few quick kills and forcing Brock into mistakes. The Mustangs stayed in control with solid serving and steady defence. Even when Brock tried to push back, the Mustangs ensured the lead with hits. Western had a few service errors but kept it steady and secured the win. The Mustangs took the set 25–17 to win the match 3–1 and finish the night on a high note.
Team Stats:
Kills - Smith, Cade (10), Toomes, Oliver (10), Silon, Nic (9)
Blocks - Smith, Cade (3.0), Silon, Nic (2.0), Homenick, Kendall (1.0)
Digs - Kerkhoff, Andrew (8), Toomes, Oliver (7), Jones, Michael (5)
Saturday, November 1
Western started strong, keeping things close early with good serving and a few big blocks. The Mustangs pulled ahead 17–15 before Brock called a timeout to regroup. After that, Brock found their rhythm from the service line and started forcing mistakes on Western's side. The Mustangs called another timeout down 23–21, but the Badgers kept the lead and closed the set 25–22.
Western came out strong, taking an early 4–0 lead. The Mustangs kept it going through the first half with a 17–15 lead until Brock started to push back. Western called a timeout at 20–17 as the Badgers went on a small run. The Mustangs managed a few kills, but Brock stayed steady and ended the set 25–23 to go up 2–0.
The third set was close between the teams as they traded points and kept things close at 7–7. Brock started to pull ahead with a few big serves and kills, forcing Western to call a timeout at 14–9. The Mustangs tried to regroup, but the Badgers stayed in control and kept finding open spots. Western took another timeout at 18–13, but Brock stayed steady and finished the set 25–19 to take the match 3–0.
Team Stats:
Kills - Smith, Cade (11), Homenick, Kendall (7), Talsma, Jayden (6)
Blocks - Homenick, Kendall (2.0), McGregor, Cameron (0.0), Smith, Cade (0.0)
Digs - McGregor, Cameron (9), Smith, Cade (5), Kerkhoff, Andrew (5)
NEXT GAMES
The Mustangs return to action on November 14th & 15th against McMaster. Game time is 8 pm from Alumni Hall. Tickets are available at WesternMustangs.ca/Tickets, and Western students get free admission with a valid Western ONECard.
