OUA Quarter Final: All-stars step up to guide Mustangs to win

LONDON, Ont. - Fresh off being named OUA all-stars or major award winners, four Western Mustangs women's volleyball all-stars stood out in a straight-set, 3-0, OUA quarter-final win over Guelph.

Western won convincingly at Alumni Hall by set scores of 25-21, 25-19 and 30-28 to advance to the OUA Final Four next weekend Feb. 27-28.

The Mustangs had to play their hearts out in the third set against a Guelph team unwilling to give up, fighting through a combined five match points to come out victorious.

"It goes to show you how hard the team battled and how composed they were," said Mustangs head coach Dean Lowrie. "It showed a lot about them and their character."

Western scored a lot of points from the sides, dropping shots over top of Guelph double-teams.

"I thought we did a good job executing our game plan," Lowrie said. "We did a good job at attacking from the left-side, but not using that side so often that they would be able to adjust to it defensively."

"We only attacked it when their setter was in the front row. The girls had a good idea of when to exploit it."

The Mustangs, 14-5 in the regular season, and Guelph, 13-6 in the regular season, split the season series. But the Gryphons looked flat and Western had a near-perfect game-plan which guided them easily through the first two sets.

The Gryphons looked like a different team in the third set, but despite thwarting three match-point opportunities for the Mustangs, they could not win the third set.

Western had the first four sideouts and cruised through the first two sets.

With sideouts at 8-6 and 16-10, Guelph went on 6-1 run to claw back at 17-16, forcing a Western timeout, but the Mustangs won the set after Sara Farrell (London, Ont.) blocked a Brooke Lloyd (Whitby, Ont.) attack for set point.

Western bursted out to an 8-3 lead in the second set for sideout and led 11-4, with many mental errors from the Gryphons. But Guelph clawed back within two points at 13-11, aided by some Western defensive errors.

But a Sarah Lowry (Calgary) kill at the 15th point and a timely block for the 16th gave Western the lead at the second sideout. Caleigh Whitaker (Sharon, Ont.) slammed home a monster kill to close out the set at 25-19.

Guelph looked refreshed after the second-set break, and their attacks were well placed, giving Western challenges.

The Gryphons opened up with an 8-5 lead, before Western tied it at 8-8 and took a 9-8 lead forcing Guelph timeout.

The teams exchanged the lead several times before Western scored three straight points with Elaine Screaton (Calgary) serving.

A Whitaker kill and Guelph error from Claire Sandor (Waterloo, Ont.) set up match point, but Western could not score on an attack-play at the net.

The game would be tied four more times, with great defensive play from Claire Morrow (London, Ont.) giving the Mustangs chance after chance.

Finally with Sarah Johnston (Stratford, Ont.) serving, a Sandor error at the net gave Western the win.

"Overall, when they needed to be sharp and focussed, they were," Lowrie said. "I don't think tonight we gave them more than two or three runs."

"This was probably supposed to be the closest quarter-final. I thought we controlled the match."

Source: Western Mustangs