Western opened the scoring in the first set and quickly jetted out to a solid lead and held it through much of the first set, finishing off the Thunderwolves 25-18.
“We have three matches this weekend so physical fatigue is something we are definitely considering so it was great to finish this one quickly,” said Mustangs Head Coach Melissa Bartlett “We were able to use all 14 players on the roster tonight which is really positive and shows our depth.”
W?? l END OF 1ST SET
Jaeya Brach led the Mustangs in this set with 9 points, 6 kills including 2 aces.
In the 2nd set, Lakehead came out to a hot start and stayed right with the Mustangs point for point until they evened up at 7-7 and then Western went on a run that saw them stretch the lead to a 10 point cushion at 20-10. Lead largely by OH Janelle Albert who fired 5 consecutive points for the Mustangs.
“She’s honestly incredible, she brings such a huge leadership component to our team and so positive,” said Mustangs RS Brooke Richards of Albert “She’s just an all-around threat for our team and we are so lucky to have her,”
W?? l END OF 2ND SET
After an early Thunderwolves push, The Mustangs had an impressive run through the middle of the set and take the win and now lead the game 2-0.
Western would finish off the second set 25-14 and would carry that momentum into the third set. The Mustangs were at 12 points quickly and were outpacing Lakehead who could only muster 3 points to that point. The killer instinct to finish off the match was evident for Western as they opened up a 23-11 lead late in the set and even though the Thunderwolves would score 4 straight points, Mya Newton would put the final kill through and seal the win for Western.
“Lakehead is definitely a really gritty defensive team that tends to extend rallies, that was fun though as we have some extended rallies tonight,” said Bartlett “They’re a team that improves on these longer stretch weekends as they’re used to playing games over multiple consecutive nights and we need to be ready for that.”
W?? l END OF 3RD SET
The Mustangs finish off a dominant performance in the 3rd set and take the match 3-0.
The Mustangs and Thunderwolves return to Alumni Hall tomorrow afternoon at 4pm.
“Getting a 3-0 win tonight gives us the momentum going into tomorrow,” said Richards “We need to keep the same focus and intensity to carry us through the rest of the weekend,”
Tickets are available online only at WesternMustangs.ca/tickets, a reminder that tickets are FREE for Western Students but do need to be reserved online. If you can’t make it to the game you can watch the action on OUA.tv.