St. Catharines, ON – The Mustangs split a weekend series with the Brock Badgers, opening with a 5-set loss and followed that up with a straight-set win to close it out.
GAME RECAPS
Friday, October 31
The opening set was tight, with both sides trading points and neither able to pull ahead early. Western found some rhythm halfway with strong serving and attacks to get a small lead. Brock responded with a few well-placed hits and service pressure to even it out. The teams fought for every point in the final stretch, forcing extra points after a 25–25 tie. Western stayed composed in the final rallies, finishing the set 27–25 to take an early 1–0 lead in the match.
Brock opened the second set on a roll, taking advantage of a few early Western attack errors to get ahead 5–1. The Mustangs called a timeout to regroup and benefited from Brock's service error and a few attacks. Western then gained momentum with back-to-back service aces and a run of crazy hits that forced Brock into a timeout. The score stayed tight as both teams made mistakes. Brock benefited from Western's errors at the net and an attack that landed long. The Badgers closed the set 25–23 to tie the match 1–1.
Western started the third set with energy, taking advantage of Brock's attack errors to grab the lead. The Badgers responded with a short serving run that included an ace to tie things up. A few Brock service and setting errors gave the Mustangs more time, and Western was really putting pressure at the net at this point. After a timeout, Western pulled through with service aces. The Mustangs closed the set 25–21, making it a 2-1 game so far.
Western carried the momentum into the fourth set, opening with a service ace and forcing Brock to make errors. The Badgers quickly made up for their errors with blocks and consistent attacking. Western's serving errors and a handful of missed swings began to shift the momentum as Brock took control midway through. The Mustangs fought hard to try and gather points but Brock was steady. The Badgers won the set 25–22, evening the match at 2-2 to go into a 5th.
The last set started evenly, with both teams trading early points off attack errors and quick kills. Western looked sharp at the net, mixing hits with strong coverage to keep things tight through the first few rallies. Brock gained momentum halfway through the set by benefiting off the Mustangs errors. Despite a brief push from the Mustangs, the Badgers maintained control with nice attacks and blocks. Brock ended the game 15–10 to take the match in five hard fought sets.
Team Stats:
Kills - Buntic, Emma (18), Harrison, Lael (10), Tukker, Nyla (10)
Service Aces - Ebert, Ava (3), Coonfer, Ava (2), Buntic, Emma (1)
Digs - Pelosi, Madeline (10), Tukker, Nyla (5), Buntic, Emma (4)
Saturday, November 1
Western started the match strong, picking up early points off Brock's errors and solid serving. The Mustangs kept their momentum going with a couple of service aces and steady play at the net, forcing Brock to call a timeout to slow things down. Even after the break, Western stayed steady, keeping rallies alive and taking advantage of more Brock mistakes. The Badgers managed to catch up, but Western finished it off 25–20 to take the opening set.
The Mustangs kept it going in the second set, starting strong with back-to-back aces and smart plays at the net. The Mustangs maintained a strong lead by forcing Brock into errors and maintaining pressure with their tough defence. A few service mistakes gave Brock a chance to close the gap, but Western quickly came back with attacks. Brock then took a timeout. Western played well and ended the set 25–17, making it a 2-0 game.
Western carried their energy into the third set, with an early lead from strong serves. The Mustangs stayed in control throughout, pushing the Badgers to errors and getting many service aces. Brock tried to fight back late with a few clean attacks, but Western's defence stayed strong. Western closed out the set 25–19 to sweep the match 3–0.
Team Stats:
Kills - Buntic, Emma (9), Wilson, Toni (7), Ebert, Ava (5)
Service aces - Buntic, Emma (5), McEwen, Kendra (5), Vrbanac, Karly (1)
Digs - Pelosi, Madeline (8), Wilson, Toni (6), Coonfer, Ava (4)
NEXT GAMES
The Mustangs return to action on November 14th & 15th against McMaster. Game time is 6 pm from Alumni Hall. Tickets are available at WesternMustangs.ca/Tickets, and Western students get free admission with a valid Western ONECard.
