Western suffered their first loss of the year last weekend, falling to the Marauders in three sets. They quickly bounced back the following day with a three-set sweep of the Badgers the following day, and will have the opportunity to repeat the outcome in a few days when they welcome Brock to Alumni Hall.
 
The purple and white remain in first place in the OUA West standings coming into this week, holding a 10-1 record, while the Badgers are in fifth in the West at 3-7.
 
In the past Western has relied on two-time First Team All-Canadian Kelsey Veltman to generate points, and there's no reason to expect Saturday's game to be any different. The 6-2 middle leads the OUA in blocks per set (1.31) and ranks second overall for kills per set (3.79). She also boasts a.296 hitting percentage, sixth best in the league.
 
Aja Gyimah has been the other go-to for setter Kat Tsiofas, but it was Taylor Beedie who shone in last week's matchup against Brock. The third-year health sciences student was the second most effective hitter, recording eight kills in the win.
 
Rookie Melissa Langegger also performed well, recording 10.5 points – just half a point behind Veltman – with four aces, six kills, and one assisted block.
 
For the Badgers, Renee Helmer has been the primary target for setter Hannah Davenhill, averaging 2.1 points per set and a 0.63 hitting percentage. However, it's Abby Jenkins and Maddie Brown who have been leading the team in points. Both average 2.4 points per set, despite having substantially fewer opportunities to swing on the ball.  
 
No one on the Brock roster has been able to put up numbers comparable to leading purple and white athletes, but they do offer greater variation on their offence.
 
It's well established across the OUA that Veltman and Gyimah are some of the most talented athletes in the league, and that they can be expected to shoulder the brunt of the offensive effort.  Brock's blockers are likely to hone in on the duo, while Western may not be able to predict who will send the ball over the net.

Game time on Saturday is set for 12 p.m. at Alumni Hall, and fans can tune into all the action live on OUA.tv