LONDON, Ont. (November 24th, 2017) – The Gaels were defeated in three sets on the road against the Western Mustangs. The scores of each set were 25-9, 25-18 and 25-20.
GAME FLOW
The first set of the match proved unlucky for the Gaels. The Tricolour was unable to find the holes in the Mustangs defence and only made five successful kills this set. The Gaels found themselves in a deep deficit but continued to play with determination and composure. Kills by Shannon Neville (Cambridge, Ont.), Natalie Crews (North Vancouver, B.C.), Julia Wiercigroch (Mississauga, Ont.) and Isabelle Korchinski (Anmore, Ont.) brought the Queen's score up to nine but defensive work by the Mustangs maintained that score for the rest of the set. The Mustangs took the set with a score of 25-9 and made the match 1-0.
The second set showed more intensity by the Gaels as they took the first point off a kill by Olivia Van Baaren (Ottawa). The Tricolour went point for point with the Mustangs until Western took an 8-point lead, leaving Queen's trailing behind. The Gaels battled their way back from the 8-point gap, but they were unable to catch the Mustang's lead. Western took the set with a score of 25-18 and lengthened their match score to 2-0.
The third and final set started out strong for the Gaels with Sierra Hardy (Oakville, Ont.) taking the first point on a serving ace. The Gaels took the lead for the first time this game on a serving rally by Saffron van der Linde (Vancouver) with kills by van Barren and Wiercigroch making the score 7-3. Unfortunately for the Gaels, the Mustangs stepped up their defence and caught the Queen's lead, surpassing them at the 9th point of the set. The Tricolour fought for every point they got but they were unable to match Western's pressure. The Mustangs ended the set on a kill, taking the set 25-20 and the match 3-0.
BY THE NUMBERS
1 – team ace for the Gaels made by Sierra Hardy
8 – team errors made each set this match
8 – kills made by Olivia Van Baaren
UP NEXT
The Gaels take on the Windsor Lancers in a road game on November 25th at 6 pm. The game can be streamed live on OUA.tv.
