The Western Mustangs will wrap up their regular season schedule this weekend, as they hit the road to take on the Nipissing Lakers and York Lions on Friday and Saturday.
 
Currently tied for second in the OUA West with Guelph, Western has been on a roll since the calendar turned to 2017, going 7-2 so far this semester.
 
Bryn Ramsay continues to lead the way for the purple and white, topping the scoresheet with 2.69 kills and 3.4 points per set, while also recording a team-high 1.9 digs per set. The latter number not only leads the Mustangs, but also puts him ninth among all OUA players.
 
Both of this week's matchups could have a major impact on the standings, not only for the Mustangs, but also for the Lakers and Lions. While Western will be looking for two wins to take sole possession of second place in the West, the Lakers are aiming to vault over Ryerson into second in the East as York aims to lock up first place.
 
Friday, February 24 – Western at Nipissing – 8 p.m.
 
First up for the Mustangs are the Nipissing Lakers, who enter the week on a three-game winning streak, and in third place in the OUA East with an 11-5 record. Friday's contest will be the first regular season meeting between the two teams this year, with Western taking both regular season contests last year.
 
The duo of Steven Wood and Cameron Branch lead the Lakers offence, averaging 3.9 and 3.1 points per set, respectively. Wood also ranks in the top ten in the OUA in kills per set at 3.34, to place sixth in the conference.
 
While the Mustangs will need to look out for Wood and Branch on offence, they'll also need to get past the blocks of Jack Peckham and Warren Taylor. The Lakers average the second most blocks per set in Ontario at 2.72 per frame, and unsurprisingly, their top two blockers are also on top of the OUA leaderboard. Peckham is first in the conference with 1.29 per set, while Taylor is third with 1.11.
 
Saturday, February 25 – Western at York – 8 p.m.
 
After taking on the number three team in the East on Friday the Mustangs will square off with the top team in the division on Saturday night as they face York in the regular season finale for both teams. The Lions are currently riding an eight-game winning streak, one that began back on January 15 with a win over Trent.
 
Western and York split their regular season series last year, although the Mustangs also defeated the Lions at the York Excalibur Classic in January 2016, taking the match in five sets.
 
York boasts one of the top offences in the league, ranking first in points per set with 16.2, while also coming in at number two in kills per set with 11.95. Senior middle Alex Duncan-Thibault leads the Lions offence with an OUA-best 5.6 points per frame, including 4.38 kills per set.

Although the offence may get most of the attention, the Lions are also the top blocking team in the province, averaging 2.87 per set. Duncan-Thibault also leads the way for the Lions blockers with a 1.20 average, with fellow senior Spencer Dakin Kuiper following close behind with 1.0 per set.