Mustangs show gritty effort in U SPORTS Championship Quarterfinal loss

Brandon, MB – The Mustangs put forth a gritty effort in the opener of the 2025 U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship on Thursday afternoon as they took on the #2 ranked Sherbrooke Vert Et Or.

Western had a solid effort in the first set which just squeaked out of their hands at 26-24, a tough second set performance made it difficult to gain any traction the rest of the match.

“Sherbrooke’s been to the last three national championships. They lost the national championship last year by 2 points. We knew that coming into this one they would be hungry,” said Mustangs Head Coach Jim Sage “They served and passed very, very well. They’re a very disciplined team. They don’t panic, and they played well,”

The first set started with Western taking an early lead with a point off an attack error by Sherbrooke’s Hugo Ouellet. Kendall Homenick and Cade Smith contributed with kills, keeping the score competitive. Jonah Millard and Cameron McGregor showcased strong defensive skills, each contributing to blocks that resulted in points. The Mustangs continued to exchange points with the Vert & Or, highlighted by service aces from Kendall Homenick and Cameron McGregor. Despite a late lead with a score of 22-20 following a service ace by Cade Smith, the Mustangs ultimately fell short in the set, concluding 26-24 in favour of Sherbrooke.

“We had set point, had we got to take that first set, and I really think it changes the whole match.” said Sage “I think it losing that set really took the wind out of our sails and I didn’t really understand how much that kick in the groin that was to our guys,”

In the second set, Western faced an early challenge as Sherbrooke opened with a 6-0 run. Western responded with a timeout, breaking the streak with points from a service error and a block by Kendall Homenick and Cameron McGregor, narrowing the score to 6-2. The Mustangs then saw contributions from Oliver Toomes, who secured two kills, bringing the score to 14-7. Despite a service error by Sherbrooke at 16-8, Western couldn’t maintain momentum, with Sherbrooke closing the set at 25-12.
 
In the third set, Western started with a balanced lineup featuring Cameron McGregor, Cade Smith, and Oliver Toomes. Early on, Toomes recorded a kill at 3-2 and again at 7-6, highlighting his contributions. The Mustangs responded later in the set when Jonah Millard’s kill tied the score at 8-8. A late surge by Sherbrooke, including a service ace by Yoan David at 16-13, put pressure on the Mustangs. The set concluded with a final score of 25-20 in favour of Sherbrooke, despite consistent efforts from Toomes and Smith.

“While this isn’t the result we wanted, I think this is definitely a big, big, big step for the future of our program, and this is my last year, and so I’ve been part of the last 5 years where we would get to the quarterfinal in the OUA, and it’s been a lot of failures,” said Millard post-game “You can’t have success without failure and so I think this is a really awesome experience for the younger guys that are coming back next year. I think we’ll be back here next year and it’s a really valuable experience.”

Despite being under the weather, Cade Smith led the Mustangs with 10 points, recording eight kills and a .136 hitting percentage. He was named the Mustangs player of the game. Oliver Toomes added 10.5 points, tallying nine kills with a .263 hitting percentage and leading the team with three total blocks. Jonah Millard achieved a team-high .400 hitting percentage, securing five kills and four blocks, while Cameron McGregor contributed five kills and two total blocks.

The Mustangs move to the consolation bracket for Saturday’s action at the championship as they will take on a familiar foe in the Windsor Lancers. Game time is set for noon CST & 1 pm EST for fans in London and area. The game will be broadcast on the CBC Sports App and the CBC Sports YouTube at https://bit.ly/4is4Q5e