London, ON – Western Mustangs Men’s Volleyball finally returns to home court for the first competition match at home in two years, bringing with it high expectations as well as a confident team of athletes.
Despite the addition of new faces and the COVID-induced time away from the court, the chemistry within the team has not faltered and remains a key asset that the team anticipates will bring high performance.
Returning fourth year player and captain Amit Sayal acknowledges the uniqueness of the volleyball culture, and talks about how the team spends just as much time together off the court as they do on it.
“We have such a tight group of guys,” said Sayal. “We spend time off the court together engaging in team activities, and just immerse ourselves in each other’s presence. We were extremely fortunate to already start off at such a high level of team chemistry, and it’s been growing stronger every day through practices, road trips and off-court socializing.”
Coached by Western alumnus and four-time OUA Coach of the Year Jim Sage, the men’s team put forth a strong pre-season showing with a 5-1 record and hope to carry that momentum into the regular season.
“These athletes have been training as best as they could,” said Sage. “And now that we are back in the gym you can see the enthusiasm, passion and pride these Mustangs have to represent Western.”
“It’s been a great learning experience for our whole team,” shared Sayal. “We’ve battled some great opponents [in pre-season] and had the opportunity to go on a few road trips.”
The importance of exhibition games and the replication of game rhythm is not lost on the team, who are competing in a new reduced 14 match OUA schedule for this first year back. Sayal recognizes that a reduced schedule does not change the team’s mentality, but rather offers a new sense of urgency.
“We don’t have the luxury of losing winnable games,” said Sayal. “Maintaining our focus every game to ensure we take care of business will be critical for our success.”
The Mustangs will compete in the 6-team West division and will aim to finish in the top 4 in order to book a playoff berth and compete for a banner, something they will look to bring home to Western for the first time in 43 years. If any team can do it, it is most definitely this one.
“There’s something special about the group this year, and it didn’t take long for us to realize it,” said Sayal. “The commitment to one another is unlike anything I’ve been a part of. The intensity and skill level is also extremely high. No doubt it’s an exciting environment to train in and such a positive culture to be part of.”
“This team seems especially motivated to compete and see what they can do,” added Sage. “Expectations are very high, but it is difficult to know what the other teams will look like as we haven’t seen them in a while. I really like the team’s energy and fight and we will see how it goes.”
But of course, there is only one end goal in mind.
“Make it to OUA finals and win that gold medal,” Sayal concluded.
The Mustangs have been on the road for their first 3 games of the season, having already secured their first victory against Waterloo during Fall Reading Week.
The Mustangs will look to continue their winning start and will play their home opener at Alumni Hall on November 20th at 6pm. Tickets are available now at www.westernmustangs.ca/tickets