Box Score WINDSOR, Ont.- The Windsor Lancers men's volleyball team dropped a Sunday afternoon matinee 3-1 (25-22,25-20,22-25,25-23) to the Western Mustangs at the St. Denis Centre.
Garrett May led all players with 25 kills in leading the Mustangs to their fourth win of the season, while
Adam Thompson put together an impressive display of hitting efficiency in a losing cause. The Portage La Prarie, Alb. native picked up 12 kills on 16 attempts, committing just one error and garnered a game-high .688 hitting percentage.
Gabriel Burlacu also tallied 12 kills while
Shawn Reaume,
Scott Hickman and
Greg Simone each added eight.
The Mustangs grabbed an 11-8 advantage early in the first set, prompting a timeout call from Lancers coach
James Gravelle. Thompson tallied a kill and followed that with an ace to cut the deficit, and the men took the lead 16-15 going into the technical timeout. The teams traded points before the visitors managed to go on a mini-streak to give themselves a set point. A Hickman block was answered by a Mustangs' kill, as they drew first blood in the match.
Western built a 7-2 spread in the second set before Phil James and Garrett May combined on a big block that extended their advantage. May picked up another kill, and the Mustangs took a 16-8 lead into the technical. The Lancers gained back some of the momentum later in the stanza, as a big kill and block from Burlacu brought the men back within four. However, Western maintained a healthy spread to take a two-set lead.
Hickman and Burlacu exchanged kills and
Ryan Leknois tallied a block in an effort to spur a Lancer comeback as the hosts went up 7-3 in the third set. Leknois and Hickman then tallied back-to-back blocks, and the Lancers went into the technical up 16-10.
The Lancers looked ready to claim their first set of the day, but an ace that just caught the sideline was followed by another Mustangs point, and the visitors pulled within two. Coming out of a Lancer timeout, Western grabbed another kill before Burlacu restored Windsor's two-point cushion. The Mustangs continued to rally and evened the set at 20-20. But two straight errors from May and some stingy Lancer defence again put Windsor up a couple. Burlacu notched a point off the Mustangs block, and Leknois clinched the set with a block from the left side.
Thompson tallied consecutive blocks, capping off an 8-4 start to the fourth and the Lancers jumped out to a sizeable lead for the second straight set. However, the visitors went on an 8-4 run of their own, evening the stanza at 12-12. Western took its first lead of the set soon after, but two straight points from Windsor gave them a slight 16-15 advantage at the technical.
Doug Austrom tallied a kill and block, and the Mustangs went up by two after the break. A rejection from Reaume pulled the men within one. But May found the deep left corner from the middle of the net to give Western a set point. After the Lancers saved the first of two match points, May was able to connect on the second opportunity, putting the contest on ice.
The Lancers will continue their home-stand next weekend at the St. Denis Centre, as they welcome the Ryerson Rams and Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday and Saturday respectively.
