Mustangs best the undefeated Varsity Blues to earn OUA gold medal berth

TORONTO, Ont. - The No. 9 Western Mustangs women's volleyball team will look to add their OUA best 12^th title after upsetting the undefeated No. 1 Toronto Varsity Blues in a thrilling 3-2 (25-19, 17-25, 25-22, 20-25, 16-14) OUA semifinal on Friday night (Mar. 10) at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.

Western will challenge the winner of No. 8 McMaster/Ryerson in the gold-medal match tomorrow night at 8 p.m., at Goldring Centre. Both teams in the championship match will have earned a berth as one of three OUA representatives at the 2017 U SPORTS championship next weekend (Mar. 17-19) at Mattamy Athletic Centre hosted by Ryerson University.

Toronto will face the loser of tonight's second semifinal in the OUA bronze-medal match at 6 p.m., tomorrow. Advance tickets are on sale here. Both games will also be streamed live on OUA.tv.

Player of the match and OUA west player of the year Kelsey Veltman led the way for the Mustangs scoring a game-high 24.5 points from 19 kills, two service aces and 3.5 blocks.

Second in scoring for Western was outside hitter Aja Gyimah who notched 13 points off of nine kills, two service aces and two solo blocks, while adding 12 digs defensively.

OUA first team all-star Kat Tsiofas guided the offence with 43 assists, while Tia Miric registered a game-high 19 digs.

For the Varsity Blues, OUA East player of the year Alina Dormann recorded a game-high 26 points from 22 kills and four service aces, while adding 16 digs.

Toronto player of the match Anna Feore also reached 20 points on the night finishing with 21.5 courtesy 15 kills, six service aces and one assisted block, adding 17 digs.

Fifth-year setter and OUA East award of merit winner Madelyn Mandryk earned a game-high 49 assists, while libero Asli Ersozoglu matched her Western counterpart with 19 digs.

The match opened with back-and-forth action as the Varsity Blues held a slight lead early. However, the Western Mustangs rallied back winning eight of the last nine points to take the first set 25-20.

Momentum quickly shifted back to the Varsity Blues in the second set as Alina Dormann showcased her offensive skills. Toronto also received strong net play from middle Anna Licht down the stretch to take the second set 25-17.

In the third, Veltman shined for the Mustangs alongside fellow middle Candice Scott as Western utilized it's advantage at the net to earn a 25-20 third set win, putting the pressure on the Varsity Blues.

U of T did exactly that, bouncing back in the fourth after a tight opening half. Outside hitter Anna Feore shined for the Varsity Blues both at the service line and from her left side as Toronto forced the exciting match into a fifth set with the 25-20 fourth set victory.

Momentum continued for the Varsity Blues as they jumped ahead of Western 8-3 at the fifth set switch. However, Veltman would not be denied as she rallied her team for an incredible comeback effort which ended with an outstanding service run from the player of the year.

STAT LEADERS
 
Toronto
Kills: Alina Dormann (22), Anna Feore (15)
Points: Alina Dormann (26), Anna Feore (21.5)
Blocks: Anna Licht (5.5), Veronica Derylo (2)
Digs: Asli Ersozoglu (19)
Assists: Madelyn Mandryk (49)
Service aces: Anna Feore (6), Alina Dormann (4)
 
Player of the match: Anna Feore
 
Western
Kills: Kelsey Veltman (19), Aja Gyimah (9)
Points: Kelsey Veltman (24.5), Aja Gyimah (13)
Blocks: Kelsey Veltman (3.5), Kat Tsiofas (2.5)
Digs: Tia Miric (19)
Assists: Kat Tsiofas (43)
Service aces: Kelsey Veltman (2), Aja Gyimah (2)
 
Player of the match: Kelsey Veltman
 
OUA FINAL FOUR SCHEDULE & RESULTS
 
Friday, March 10
6:00pm Western 3 Toronto 2
8:00pm McMaster v Ryerson
 
Saturday, March 11
6:00pm Bronze medal match: Toronto vs Loser Semifinal #2
8:00pm Gold medal match: Western vs Winner Semifinal #2