Western falls in five sets to TMU

London, ON – The Mustangs fell to TMU in a closely contested five-set match at Alumni Hall on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Mustangs came out firing right from the opening serve with an early point from Kendall Homenick, supported by Andrew Kerkhoff, setting the tone for a competitive matchup. Cameron McGregor and Cade Smith contributed effectively, with Smith securing a service ace when Western was down 13-10. Despite a strong defensive effort from, blocking back-to-back attacks at 16-13 and 17-13, TMU rallied late, closing out the first set with a 25-21 victory.
 
In the second set, Western capitalized on TMU’s service errors and strong offensive plays to secure a 25-17 victory. McGregor and Smith made significant contributions, with McGregor delivering multiple kills, including a key one at 20-15, and Smith assisting consistently with Michael Jones’s help. The Mustangs maintained control throughout, with a notable scoring streak from 6-3 to 14-7, aided by Toronto’s errors, including a critical block by Jonah Millard that concluded the period at 25-17.

M ?? END OF 2ND SET
The Mustangs respond with a 25-17 win including some WILD plays like this extended rally that ends with a Jonah Millard block.

TMU l 1
WES l 1
?? stream the game LIVE on https://t.co/otXrD4PfAj#RunWithUs l #LetsGoMustangs l #TMUvsWES l pic.twitter.com/cwNzcWlcI3

— Western Mustangs (@WesternMustangs) January 11, 2025

 
The Mustangs began the third set with a strong performance, opening with three consecutive points, including a kill by McGregor and a kill by Smith. The team maintained control, with Smith recording multiple kills and Jones assisting on several plays. The set concluded with Western securing a 25-18 victory, highlighted by Oliver Toomes’ final kill, assisted by Jones.

M ?? END OF 3RD SET
Oliver Toomes with the feather touch to finish out a 25-18 win and gives the Mustangs the lead.

TMU l 1
WES l 2

?? stream the game LIVE on https://t.co/otXrD4PfAj#RunWithUs l #LetsGoMustangs l #TMUvsWES l pic.twitter.com/qpdzeMsvAb

— Western Mustangs (@WesternMustangs) January 11, 2025

 
In the fourth set, Western saw key contributions from Smith, who recorded multiple kills, including one at 14-10 and another at 24-22, both assisted by Jones. Jones also contributed with a kill himself, bringing the score to 18-15. Despite their efforts, TMU maintained a steady lead, eventually closing with a 25-22 win to extend the match to five sets.
 
The fifth set began with an early back-and-forth exchange; Western levelled the score at 5-5 with a series of attack errors from Walker and Toronto’s Day Westell, facilitated by solid defensive plays from the Mustangs. Smith had a notable performance with multiple kills, including a crucial one from Kerkhoff to bring the score to 18-18. Both sides would exchange points when extra points were required; Western narrowly fell with a final score of 21-19 in favour of the Bold.
 
Smith has been a standout for the Mustangs, leading with 31.5 points, contributed by his 29 kills and a .373 attack percentage over five games. McGregor also made significant contributions, adding 16.5 points with 13 kills and four total blocks. Kerkhoff has been effective in defense, leading the team with 17 digs. Millard has shown strength in blocking, recording six total blocks across five sets. Meanwhile, Jones has been a key playmaker with 49 assists.

Western sits tied for 4^th in the OUA after the weekend at 6&4 for the year. The Mustangs are on the road next weekend as they head to Peterborough to take on Trent, starting Friday night (Jan. 17) at 8:00 pm. Fans can watch the action on OUA.tv.