Mustangs advance to OUA Final Four with win over Gaels

LONDON, Ont. – The Mustangs secured a spot in the OUA Final Four tournament for the fourth straight year, eliminating the Gaels from medal contention with a four set win (25-23, 26-24,16-25, 25-18) on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall.
 
"They have some really big outside attackers, so we made sure that we could force them cross court and then we executed our defense," said middle Kate Ferguson when asked about how the team had prepared for the match.
 
Kelsey Veltman led the offensive effort for the Mustangs with 19 kills, adding another two points from the service line alongside a handful of blocks. Defensively, Courtney Sestric stood out on the floor with an unmatched 27 digs.
 
"We have an extraordinary [athlete] in her," said head coach Melissa Bartlett when asked about Veltman's performance. "She's our outlet and go-to in the front and back row. She's really embraced a position she's only played for two weeks."
 
Shannon Neville led the Gaels with 14.5 points, while Julia Wiercigroch followed with 10.
 
Queen's opened up the match by putting the Mustangs into a steep deficit early on, forcing the Mustangs to use their first timeout at 2-7.
 
Gaels libero Alexandra Tsiofas was a big presence on the floor despite her rookie status, taking the brunt of Western's attacks and consistently sending a solid pass up to her setter. She was also one of the most vocal athletes on the floor; carefully calling both serves and attacks for her teammates.
 
"I took a timeout when we were down 2-7, and I wasn't surprised to see that because we were playing really emotionally," said Bartlett. "I just told them to continue sticking to the game plan because we were sticking to it but we weren't executing it and communication was down a bit."
 
However, Western's Danielle Grasman and Veltman would dominate the floor after returning from the timeout to bring the set within one point.
 
Grasman's blocking proved to be a nearly insurmountable challenge for Queen's, though their coverage prevented the fourth year middle's stats from reflecting her influence. Meanwhile, Veltman came out swinging to generate four points for the Mustangs, with each kill cutting straight through the Queen's defence.
 
The score would remain tight throughout the final points of the set, with Veltman continuing to dominate offensively and ultimately recording eight of the team's 14 kills. Melissa Langegger was the other favourite target of setter Jessica Lam, and would eventually seal the set with a kill at 25-23.

"Constant communication," said setter Jessica Lam when asked about the team's success. "Talking about where the hitters are, who the prime attackers are, and constantly being on our toes."
 
"Sets one and two could not have been any better played by either team" added Bartlett. 
 
Langegger had an even bigger impact in the opening points of the second set, with a few big blocks and kills that kept the Mustangs score close to that of the Gaels.
 
Working against Western with similar success was Neville, who was the leading scorer for the Gaels in the regular season. The outside took more than twice as many swings as her teammates, and would put up five points at the net throughout the frame.
 
Momentum switched back and forth between the two teams several times, with both coaches careful to call timeouts once they saw their team slipping. With the score tied at 21-21, Western and Queen's were in survival mode and going to great lengths to touch every playable ball.
 
Courtney Sestric took control for the Mustangs once they returned to the floor, while Gyimah and Langegger both played supporting roles. The duo would ultimately be responsible for the final points of the game, with Gyimah notching the first two while Langegger closed it out with a kill to bring the score to 26-24.
 
While the second set had seen the Western block dominate, the third opened up with a series of imposing blocks from the visiting team. Queen's presence at the net was bigger than it had been all match, and was a key factor in putting the Mustangs in an early five-point deficit. The increased threat at the net forced Western to adjust their attack, but as a result the team was sending the ball outside the court more than usual.
 
In contrast, Queen's was hitting more efficiently than in the previous two sets, with the third set the first of three in which they recorded a positive hitting percentage. Neville, Corrigan, and Livingston led the effort for the Gaels, with the team only recording five errors throughout the entirety of the set – eight fewer than in set two.
 
"They made a great adjustment and spun their lineup so that our matchups were very different," noted Bartlett about the difficulty producing points in the third. "Previously we had Kelsey hitting against their setter, but they switched that around completely and we just didn't respond fast enough."
 
With the Gaels offence thriving the team would extend their lead to nine points by the end of the match, taking the third set by a score of 25-16.
 
Western responded with their own showing of strength, dominating the floor in the fourth set to double up on the Gaels at 18-9.
 
The Mustangs had essentially fixed every issue that resulted in the third set loss, with passing, serving, and hitting all far improved. Queen's, however, wasn't willing to go down without a fight.
 
The Gaels were steadily working their way back from their deficit, but could only stall the Mustangs en route to their 25-18 victory.
 
Next time the Mustangs hit the court the team will be competing in an OUA Semifinal matchup against the undefeated Ryerson Rams.

Source: Western Mustangs