Leaving the 2014-15 regular season and their 7-12 record behind them, the Mustangs head into the first round of playoffs on Saturday February 14. Placing fourth in OUA West, Western has a tough battle ahead of them as they face off against the OUA West first place McMaster Marauders in Hamilton.
 
Previous matchups have favoured the Marauders, with the Mustangs losing 0-3 (17-25, 20-25, 16-25) and 2-3 (25-17, 12-25, 25-18, 28-30, 12-15).
 
The strength of the Mustangs lies in offensive play, as they average 11.15 kills per set with a .163 hitting percent. Leading the purple and white at the net is rookie Kelsey Veltman. Averaging 3.7 points per set, and 1.19 blocks per set, the 6'2 middle from Brampton has continually topped the Mustang scoresheet while also holding down first place in the CIS for solo blocks (49) and seventh in blocks per set (1.19) Another big contributor is Aja Gyimah, who averages 3.0 points per set from her wicked attack.
 
Keeping the Mustangs competitive in the backcourt is libero Courtney Sestric. Also in her first year, Sestric averages 3.49 digs per set, with the team's average sitting at 13.09.
 
Western at McMaster – Saturday, February 14 at 7pm – Watch LIVE on OUA.tv
 
The Marauders hold a 15-4 record, having fallen to only Toronto, Queen's, Ryerson, and Ottawa throughout the season.
 
Statistically, McMaster is similar to Western. Averaging 11.25 kills per set with a .189 hitting percent, and 2.45 blocks per set, the two teams seem to be evenly matched at the net.
 
Leading the offence is sophomore Joanna Jedrzejewska, who averages 4.1 points per set, while sitting seventh in the CIS for kills per set (3.56) and tenth in points per set (4.1). McMaster is also represented on the CIS leaderboards by Maicee Sorensen, who holds ninth place in hitting percent with .335. 
 
While Jedrzejewska and Sorensen dominate at the net, libero Khira Adams keeps up the team's 13.92 digs per set average, personally contributing 3.57 digs per set.
 
Saturday's match, set to begin at 7pm at McMaster's Burridge Gymnasium, will determine who will continue on in the OUA championships, with the loser being eliminated from playoffs. Fans can stream the game online at OUA.tv.