London, ON – After opening 2023 on the road, the Mustangs returned to Alumni Hall on Friday night where they secured a straight sets victory against the visiting Brock Badgers.
Western came into this one with a 6-5 record while looking to snap a two-game losing streak. The Badgers sat at 2-9 on the season coming in, as both team’s were ready to play with their seasons on the line.
A close first set went the way of Western at 26-24, before they took control and confidently took the next two 25-15 and 25-16. Blake Fenwick led the Mustangs with 12 kills on the night.
“This was huge,” said Fenwick. “After back-to-back weekends where we fell short it was huge to get a win here at home in front of the fans. We need to carry this momentum the rest of the season. It’s going to be a grind for us and this is a great start.”
“They’re happy right now because it feels like a big weight off our shoulders,” added head coach Jim Sage. “We didn’t win in Guelph, and this was a good win. I thought we controlled all three sets, there were some stressful moments, but we fought back and were good.”
The Mustangs got off to a hot start taking the first two points of the set before the visitors took the next three consecutive points for their first lead of the game.
The two sides kept things close, as they exchanged points before a big kill from Jason Guy established a two-point lead for the ‘Stangs at 9-7. A block from Jonah Millard extended the lead at 11-7 as Brock called their first timeout.
The Badgers would go on a roll of their own, eventually tying things up at 14. They then took the lead at 16-15 off an ace.
The team’s continued to fight for the set, with neither side able to build a significant lead. Jason Guy gave the ‘Stangs set-point at 24-23, before Brock tied it up. A Badgers error would give set-point to the purple and white yet again, which they would finish off for a 26-24 first set win.
M??l END OF 1ST SET
The Mustangs take a close first set 26-24 over Brock! Blake Fenwick and Jason Guy both had 3 kills in the set.
“We are a first set team,” said Fenwick. “We’ve only lost the first set once this year. It was a little shaky, but we got through it and it all opened up.”
“0-1 is a whole new match, you have to fight back,” added Sage. “We were prepared for that, we weren’t thinking it was going to be three straight.”
After the first set, things really started to open up for the Mustangs as they found their groove.
Western took an early 3-1 lead in the second set, before the visitors in white tied it up. Trying not to lose the first set momentum, the purple and white then took the next four points, firing up their team and the crowd while forcing Brock to take a timeout.
Rallying behind a Guy serve, Western managed to extend their lead even more as Fenwick finished off a strong run with a powerful kill as the scoreboard read 11-4 for the home side.
Some kills from Guy and Millard helped put Western ahead 20-12, while a missed serve from Brock sent set point the way of the ‘Stangs. The Mustangs secured the set 25-15.
M??l END OF 2ND SET
The Mustangs take the set 25-15 over the Badgers. Blake Fenwick leads with 6 kills.
Western took a 7-2 lead early on in the third alongside an energetic crowd showcasing their enthusiasm and support through various chants and stomps, as the Beer Garden made its first appearance of the season.
“It was so much fun having all the fans there,” said Fenwick. “[It’s great to have] people chirping and when we have people screaming when [Brock] is serving, it’s nice to have the advantage we don’t have on the road.”
Josiah Esau put the Mustangs up 12-5, but Brock took four of the next five points afterwards to cut their deficit to four.
Western stayed composed and kept firing, confident they could close this one out in three sets. Kills from Millard and Amit Sayal put the ‘Stangs in the driver’s seat at 21-14, as two Brock errors handed Western match-point at 24-16 moments later.
With Sayal serving, a block by Nicolas Folz claimed the match for Western with a final 25-16 third set win.
“The win was more important than we let them know,” said Sage. “Our season is on the line. I think [our guys] knew it to some extent and so did Brock. Tomorrow is the same thing. Nothing gets better. If we lose tomorrow it’s not a successful weekend.”
It’s a quick turnaround for both teams, as they will take to the court at 4pm tomorrow for a match with just as much importance as tonight’s. The key for Western will be to build on the momentum gained tonight without letting the feeling of a big win overtake the main objective.
“We talked about satisfaction. I go, ‘are you really satisfied with this?’,” said Sage on the message to his team. “We needed a win, but don’t be satisfied. Get that hunger. We’ll see who shows up tomorrow.”
“We just have to come out and play our game like we did in the back-half of this one,” added Fenwick. “[We need to] leave it all on the court and carry the momentum we earned today.”
In addition, Brock will be looking to come out with a bounce-back statement win.
“Because of COVID some [teams] haven’t been here in forever. Many of [Brock’s] guys have never seen the inside of our gym so to serve and serve receive is difficult. This gym is tough to learn to play well in,” concluded Sage. “Tomorrow will be different, they will be more used to the surroundings and I think it will be a tighter match tomorrow. We are ready for it.”
The Mustangs will host the Badgers for the second game in their weekend series tomorrow afternoon at 4pm at Alumni Hall. Tickets can be purchased at westernmustangs.ca, while the match can also be viewed on OUA.tv