LONDON, ON - Western battled hard in a semi-final showdown against McMaster, showing strong runs of momentum and big plays at the net throughout the match. Despite taking the first set and pushing late in the third and fourth, Western ultimately fell with grace in a competitive OUA Semi-Final battle.
Friday, February 27
GAME RECAP
"There was the duality of being disappointed and sad for our team, but also being incredibly proud of the team we were both on and off the court. I'm proud of what we achieved this year." Coach Bartlett
After a week of preparation and anticipation, the Mustangs were back on the court, ready to roll against McMaster for the OUA Semi-Finals.
Western came out sharp right away, starting with a big stuff block to open the scoring and then cashing in on a clean side-out to make it 2–0. McMaster answered back with a couple steady kills and an ace to take their first real push, and for a stretch it felt like every point was a trade. The turning point was mid-set when Western settled in, got a key block touch to stop the momentum and then went on a ripping run behind tough serving that forced McMaster into messy passes and free balls. That run basically locked it in for the Mustangs, and Western finished the set at 25-19 to make it 1-0.
The second set flipped fast. Western had a nice early response with a couple quick kills and a service ace to respond, but McMaster found a groove and started stacking points off pressure and mistakes. The Marauders had blocks showing up, swings getting dug and Western getting pushed out of system. Even when Western put together a mini run late, McMaster didn't give them a chance to breathe. They kept winning the long rallies and got extra points from serving pressure, then closed it out with a kill to take it at 25-18 to make it 1-1.
"We were able to maintain our connectivity and positive body language, which is hard because we are fighting for these moments, and it's easy to let your emotions go astray, but we didn't." Coach Bartlett
In the third set, Western looked locked in from the first ball with lots of confident swings and the blocks showing up early. The best stretch was that huge serving run where Western rattled off points with back-to-back aces and then followed it with a bunch of clean kills in transition to build a serious cushion. McMaster swung back into it with their own run capitalizing off of Westerns errors, and suddenly the score tightened way more than it should've. But the Mustangs tried to stay steady, got a huge block at a key moment, and squeezed out a couple points late to keep it within reach. McMaster just had a little more in the final stretch and finished the set with a huge comeback at 25-22 to make it 2-1.
The fourth felt intense the whole way. McMaster grabbed an early lead, but Western kept chipping away and tied it up with some smart swings and better control in transition. It stayed close through the middle, with both teams trading kills and a few big defensive plays at the net. Late in the set, McMaster found separation with a block and an ace at a tough time, and that ended up being the difference. Western really persevered until the end, but McMaster closed it out 25–21, making it a 3-1 OUA Semi-Final win for the Marauders.
"When we were down a few points, we never let them get to our heads, we kept playing our game and had a few great rallies and plays as a result." Ella Umar
KEY STATS
Kills - Nyla Tukker (14), Toni Wilson (11)
Blocks - Toni Wilson (3), Ava Ebert, Emma Buntic
Digs - Madeline Pelosi (20), Nyla Tukker (8)
