With two more victories marked down for the Mustangs after the weekend, a late season surge is looking more likely as playoff season rapidly approaches. A series of rematches will close out the regular season, giving Western a second chance to settle some old scores.

Western's recently bolstered 9-7 record keeps them entangled for fourth place in the OUA with Toronto and Waterloo, while McMaster, Ryerson and Queen's take up the top three spots.

Leading the Mustangs to their weekend victories was Zeid Hamadeh, who has consistently found himself near the top of the scoresheet throughout the season. The second-year Science student and most recent Western Male Athlete of the Week's average 3.2 points and 2.65 kills per set have been helping the Mustangs stay afloat and will become increasingly important as they face off against old rivals again.

Also frequently at the top of the scoresheet is London native Mike Choja. One of the tallest members of the purple and white contingent at 6-7, the fourth-year middle is known to be one of the most consistent threats on the floor for both blocking and attacking.

Recently challenging Choja for the top blocker position is second-year middle Evan Hammond. Seeing the floor in only eight matches this season, he's shot up the scoresheet to average a team-high 1.08 blocks per set.

Seth Siegfried, as he has been all season long, remains the stable force for the Mustangs in the backcourt.

Serve reception continues to be the weak spot of Western's game as the purple and white allowed for York to pick up eight service aces while Nipissing found open floor seven times. As a team, the Mustangs lead the OUA in reception errors and trail behind only three other universities in Canada with a total of 104.
 
Western at Queen's – Saturday, February 13 at 3 p.m. - Watch live on OUA.tv

The first team scheduled to test the Mustangs as they hit their final four games of the regular season are the Queen's Gaels. A historic rival of Western, the Gaels got the better of the Mustangs in their November matchup at Alumni Hall.

Since sweeping the Mustangs in three sets (19-25, 24-26, 18-25) Queen's have won six of their ten games for third place in the OUA at 12-5.

Size and experience have been the greatest assets of the Gaels, with their three leading attackers all in their fifth year of eligibility and standing at a minimum of 6-6. Marko Dakic, who spent the first few years of eligibility as a York Lion, tops the team with 4.2 points per set. Coming in just behind are Mike Tomlinson with 3.9, and Scott Brunet with 2.9.

However, the Mustangs do have a slight edge over the Gales at the net with the integration of Bryn Ramsay and Hammond into the starting line. Neither athlete saw much action the first time Western met with the Gales, making them essentially wildcard attackers that leading blockers Brunet and Tomlinson haven't yet had the opportunity to read.
 
Western at RMC – Sunday November 14 at 7 p.m.

Sitting winless at 0-17 and in last place within the OUA, the Paladins can be expected to be in hot pursuit of their first win of the season when they meet the Mustangs. As one of only four teams to need more than three sets to shut down RMC (24-26, 25-15, 25-15, 25-19), Western is one of their last hopes to secure a victory.

Rookie Dale Towe will be the player to watch on the Paladin side of the court as his 3.2 points per set lead the team while making him a prime contender for an All-Rookie nod. The left side and Caledon native is followed by middle Adam Lupton with 2.8 points per set.

While not the most technically skilled team in the league, the Paladins are well known for their full set effort and refusal to get beaten down. Resilience is often what causes problems for their opponents, as RMC has been proven to always be ready for a comeback.

With their first set victory over the Mustangs still looming, the Paladins have already proven that they can not only handle the best that Western has to offer, but that they can overcome it.