The playoffs have just about arrived and the Mustangs are set to finish up their regular season schedule on the road this weekend against Nipissing and York.
Heading into their final two games, the Mustangs hold a 14-3 record are are tied for first in the OUA West alongside the McMaster Marauders. Regardless of the outcome of this weekend's games, the purple and white have already secured home court advantage for the OUA Quarterfinals on March 4.
The Mustangs continue to lead the OUA as the highest scoring team in the conference, averaging 16.3 points per set. Third-year middle
Kelsey Veltman enters the final week of the regular season in second in the league in both points and blocks per frame, with 5.1 and 1.35, respectively.
Courtney Sestric leads the Mustangs with 2.82 digs per set, while both
Melissa Langegger (2.16) and
Aja Gyimah (2.02) are also averaging over two per frame.
While the Mustangs have already secured home court advantage for the OUA Quarterfinals, their two opponents this week are in the midst of a battle for the final playoff spot in the OUA East Division. Both Nipissing and York are currently tied for fourth in the East and will be looking to upset Western to secure a spot in the post-season.
Friday, February 24 – Western at Nipissing – 6 p.m.
The Lakers are first on the docket for Western, and they'll be aiming to knock off the Mustangs for the first time in regular season play, having gone 0-3 and only taking one set off of the purple and white since joining the OUA in 2013-14.
Tracy Hammerton leads the Lakers attack with 3.4 points and 2.91 kills per set, and is followed by fellow outside hitters Erika Lapierre and Shayla Kessler, who contribute 2.8 and 2.6 points per frame.
Hammerton is also the team leader with 3.03 digs per set, good for ninth in the OUA, alongside libero Christina Caruso who boasts an identical 3.03 mark. First-year middle Vanessa Arbour and third-year Annabelle Harvey lead the team at the net, averaging 0.7 and 0.68 blocks per set.
Saturday, February 25 – Western at York – 6 p.m.
After taking on the Lakers on Friday, the Mustangs will wrap up their road trip against York on Saturday night. Similar to Nipissing, the Lions have been unable to top the Mustangs in regular season play for the past three seasons, with the team's last win over Western coming back on January 26, 2013.
While third-year outside hitter Celeste Witzell leads the Lions offence with 3.2 points per set, their roster features four other players averaging more than two points per frame, with Melissa Monkhouse (2.6), Sarah Williams (2.5), Melissa Smillie (2.4), and Heather Sekta (2.3) all contributing to the team's average of 14.7 points per set.
On the defensive side of things, Carly Flemmer, one of three seniors on the roster, ranks sixth in the OUA with 3.3 digs per set. Witzell and first-year middle Rachel Adams lead the team's blocking efforts, recording an aveage of 0.74 and 0.68 stops per set.
