The Mustangs men's volleyball team started the 2013 season strong and continued their success into the holiday break, bringing home a silver medal from the York Excalibur Classic tournament this past weekend and looking to extend their current three-game winning streak. Now, regular season action begins once again as the Mustangs travel to Hamilton to battle the top team in the OUA: the McMaster Marauders.

With an 8-2 record on the season the Mustangs sit in a tie for second in the OUA and trail the Marauders by four points. It is an important game for the Mustangs, who could lessen the lead to just two points with a win in Friday's matchup. The Western squad then returns home to host the Windsor Lancers on Saturday evening at Alumni Hall.

The last time Western and McMaster faced off on the court was in late October when the two teams met at Alumni Hall and the Mustangs suffered a 3-2 loss at the hands of the Marauders. Fourth-year outside hitter Garret May led the Mustangs in the match with 16 kills and three blocks, followed by middle Phil James with 15 kills and five blocks. May has led the Western squad all season and sits in third on the OUA scoring leaderboard, averaging 4.35 points per set and boasting a 27% kill percentage. James is close behind with an impressive 51% kill percentage and an average of 3.55 points per set to sit at number seven on the leaderboard.

Western vs. McMaster – Friday, January 10 at 8 PM

The Marauders enter Friday's game coming off of a strong 3-0 win over the Guelph Gryphons. The McMaster squad has been dominant all season with an undefeated 10-0 record; so far, Western and Waterloo are the only two teams that have managed to take the Marauders to five sets with all other teams being defeated in straight-sets.

The Marauders are led by Jori Mantha and Jayson McCarthy, who sit in fifth and sixth respectively on the OUA leaderboard with 3.78 and 3.73 points per set. Mantha recorded an impressive 47.8% kill percentage in October's win over the Mustangs while both Mantha and McCarthy added 13 kills in the match.

Game time is set for 8:00 p.m. on Friday night in Hamilton's Burridge Gymnasium.

Western vs. Windsor – Friday, January 10 at 7 PM  - Watch Live on Mustangs TV

The Windsor Lancers are 4-6 on the season after their most recent 2-3 loss to the Queen's Gaels at the end of November and currently sit tied for fourth in the OUA. The Lancers suffered a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Mustangs when the two teams met in mid-November and the Lancers will be looking for redemption heading into Saturday's matchup.

The team is led by Chad Hinchey with an average of 2.73 points per set on the season and is followed closely by Adam Thompson with 2.67 points per set.

Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night at Western's Alumni Hall.