NORTH BAY, Ont. – The Western Mustangs earned their third straight win on Friday night, defeating the Nipissing Lakers in four sets (22-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-22) at the Robert J. Surtees Athletic Centre.
 
The win moves Western's record to 11-5, keeping them tied with the Guelph Gryphons for second place in the OUA West. Nipissing posts a nearly identical record with 11 wins and six losses to sit third in the East Division.
 
Zeid Hamadeh's 16.5 points topped the scoresheet, but was closely followed by both Mike Choja (14) and Bryn Ramsay (13). Hamadeh also stood out as Western's top defensive player, recording 10 digs.
 
Warren Taylor led the Lakers throughout the match with 12.5 points, the 9.5 posted by Curtis MacPherson next up for the Lakers.
 
Western opened up the first set with a narrow two-point lead, but the Lakers quickly adjusted to catch the Mustangs at 8-8 before the two teams fell perfectly into step just a few points later to trade points one-for-one.
 
It wasn't until the technical that either team was able to pull away, with Nipissing going on a 7-point run to take a 16-23 lead. Randy Beauchamp's kill earned the Lakers the serve and moved the 6-6 middle into the backrow where he would serve through the point run.
 
Despite being only two points away from taking the frame, the Lakers struggled to finish the set. Western outscored Nipissing six points to two in the final points of the set, but were ultimately unable to stop the Lakers from taking the first by a score of 25-22. 
 
The second set again saw things tied at 8-8, but this time it would be the Mustangs who would dominate the floor after breaking the tie.
 
Hamadeh and Choja led the offensive effort, while Ramsay, and Evan Cranshaw were also successful in finding open floor.
 
Nipissing struggled to interrupt the Mustangs point runs, and were forced into relying on purple and white errors to win back the serve. The Lakers gained only six points throughout the remained of the set, with all but two of those coming off of errors from the Mustangs.
 
By the end of the set, Western had built up a commanding lead to take it by a 25-14.
 
Set three was substantially more competitive than set two, with the Mustangs only managing to shake the Lakers off their tail just before the 20-point mark.
 
Ramsay provided the offensive power needed to break away from Nipissing and stay ahead, while the Lakers struggled to keep the ball within the confines of the court when responding. Chris Newcombe would bring an end to the set, giving the Mustangs a 25-21 win.
 
The same pattern emerged in set four, with the Mustangs and Lakers sporting matching scores at 8-8, 12-12, and again at 17-17.
 
A combination of factors allowed the Mustangs to be the first to the 25-point mark, and responsibilities for the final points were divided across the court as Ramsay, Hamadeh, Newcombe, and Matt Hooker were all directly responsible at least one point each of the final eight.
 
Warren Taylor was able to stall the purple and white victory for a few points after an impressive performance at the net in both blocking and attacking, but Western was still able to take the final set by a score of 25-22.
 
The Mustangs will be looking to extend their winning streak tomorrow, when they take on the York Lions in their final regular season matchup. The result of the matchup, along with that of Guelph's game against Toronto, will determine how the Mustangs will be seeded in the playoffs.