London, ON – The Mustangs took on Toronto on Saturday night at Alumni Hall, winning 3-1 in the first game of their weekend doubleheader.
After taking the first set 25-21, Western then dropped the second 25-20 to Toronto. They fought back however, claiming the third and fourth sets 25-14 and 25-12 respectively. Janelle Albert had 14 kills and 4 aces for the ‘Stangs, while Jaeya Brach had 9 kills and 2 aces to her name.
“It was a big weekend last weekend upsetting number two in the country, so we just wanted to come into this game with the same mindset and mentality of every point counts and matters,” said Jaeya Brach on the win.
“I have so much respect for [Toronto’s] program,” added head coach Melissa Bartlett. “One of the things they’re known for is making great adjustments, so that’s something you have to be prepared for. It’s like a chess game. It’s always a great coaching challenge. Credit to our team, they executed our game plan very well, which was a difference-maker tonight.”
The Mustangs took a 3-1 lead to start the weekend, but Toronto quickly crawled back to take the lead at 5-4. An ace from Jaeya Brach reclaimed the lead for the ‘Stangs, which another from Hannah Joo and a block from Claire Stewart helped to extend at 12-9.
The purple and white were able to hold onto their lead and eventually claimed the opener 25-21 off a block from Ava Ebert and Joo. Ebert and Gray both led with 3 kills for Western.
W??l END OF 1ST SET
The Mustangs take the first set 25-21 over Toronto! Rachel Gray and Ava Ebert both have 3 kills for Western.
Things remained close midway through the set before the visitors got out to a small lead. Toronto managed to secure the set 25-20.
Down to start the third, the purple and white rallied behind an Albert serve to take the lead at 5-3 off an ace, the first of her three in the set.
“It was setting the tone from the service line,” said Bartlett. “Hannah [Joo] and Janelle [Albert] were our two first servers and they both served exceptionally well to put us ahead. It puts the other team on edge. We weren’t very clean from the service line in set one and two, so flipping that switch is important to be able to do mid-match. That was something great we can take forward.”
A kill from Gray put the Mustangs up by five at 8-3, as the ‘Stangs finally found their groove and never let it up.
“We came together and just said we have to look at each other in the eyes on the court,” said Brach on what changed in the third. “We are all here and all want to win, so just have fun on the court. We were a bit nervous and sloppy in the first two sets, so having fun and doing what we can do best really worked for us.”
An ace from Ebert saw Western take a 15-7 lead, while moments later a block from Gray and Ebert gave the purple and white set-point. A visitor error handed the set to Western at 25-14.
W??l END OF 3RD SET
Janelle Albert’s 3 aces helped the Mustangs take the third set 25-14 over Toronto!
Continuing their dominant momentum, the purple and white found themselves up 6-0 to start the fourth set. Albert added another ace to her name, and a kill from Brach had the Mustangs sitting at match-point at 24-11. They took the set 25-12 in a controlling fashion.
W??l FINAL SCORE
The Mustangs take the fourth set 25-12 over Toronto to secure the win! Janelle Albert had 14 kills and 4 aces for Western.
The two teams will face off again tomorrow at Alumni Hall at 2pm.
With the win, Western improves to 12-2 on the season while Toronto falls to 5-9. Both teams face a quick turnaround as they play the second game of their doubleheader tomorrow afternoon.
“We are going to get a lot of rest and come in tomorrow with that same mindset we ended those last two sets off with and hopefully do well,” said Brach on Sunday’s match.
“We can’t overestimate how important rest is in this situation,” concluded Bartlett. “We play again in 18 hours so [it’s important to] rest up. We will do some team film in the morning, look at some of the things, and predict what changes they will make. I know that team, and they’re going to make some changes, so we have to prepare to do things a bit differently to have that same level of success tomorrow.”
The Mustangs will welcome the Varsity Blues back to Alumni Hall tomorrow afternoon for a 2pm contest. Tickets can be purchased at westernmustangs.ca or you can watch the action at OUA.tv
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