The Mustangs kick off their post-season campaign on Saturday when they travel back to Toronto to take on the Ryerson Rams in an OUA Quarter-final matchup. The winner of Saturday's contest will progress to the Final Four and be guaranteed the opportunity to fight for a medal.
 
Last season saw the exact same pairing battle it out on the floor of the Mattamy Athletic Centre in the Quarter-finals, with Ryerson taking the win in four sets, on their way to an OUA silver medal and a spot at the CIS Championship.
 
This season, however, the Mustangs have a stronger regular season record heading into the post-season and a more balanced offence. Bryn Ramsay and Zeid Hamadeh have consistently topped Western's scoresheets throughout the season, while Chris Newcombe, Evan Cranshaw, and Gavin Taylor are next up on the leaderboard. Ramsay's 3.3 points per set leads the team, with Hamadeh coming in narrowly behind with 2.9.
 
Cranshaw's 2.6 points per set isn't a fully indicative of his contribution to the team, as the Athens, Ont. native carved out a spot for himself on the starting line in late January. Since the January 28 game against Brock, the Kinesiology student has averaged 3.2 points per set.
 
Ramsay and libero Nathan Phelps lead the team on the defensive end with 1.76 and 1.72 digs respectively.
 
The duo will likely take a leading role in combating the firepower coming from the Rams, focusing on defending against Lucas Coleman, and to a lesser extent, Brendan Kewin and Uchenna Ofoha.
 
Coleman leads the team in total points (312) and points per set (5.3), with the latter putting him second among all OUA players. The Professional Communication student recently recorded his 1,000th regular season career point, and will most likely record his 100th playoff point on Saturday. 
 
The fourth-year outside hitter is also a threat from the service line. With 34 aces over 59 sets, Coleman leads the OUA in both total aces and aces per set (0.58).  Western's serve receive has been solid for much of the season, but their initial games saw the team struggle with consistency. If Coleman can put the Mustangs on their heels from both the front and back court, it could go a long way to giving the Rams the edge.
 
Ryerson will also be relying on Ofocha to generate points, with one of his biggest contributions coming from his block. Standing at 6-6, the fifth-year veteran is one of the most prominent blockers in the league as he's racked up 69 total blocks over 63 sets, averaging 1.10.
 
Saturday's game will take place in Ryerson's Mattamy Athletic Centre, with the first serve scheduled to be sent out at 6 p.m. Fans are able to stream all the action live on OUA.tv.