LONDON, Ont. – Western extended its winning streak to three games on Saturday night, defeating the Windsor Lancers in three sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-16) at Alumni Hall. 
 
With the win Western holds a 7-4 record to remain in third place in the OUA West Division, while Windsor moves to 2-9, maintaining their spot in fifth in the West alongside Brock.
 
"It went pretty according to plan," said Zeid Hamadeh. "We try to focus on the little things with a team like Windsor – when they're not a huge powerhouse – doing the little things right is how you usually succeed and I think we did just that. […] We did the little things on top of the big things."
 
"The coaching staff was pleased," said head coach Jim Sage about Western's performance. "We asked them to play a complete match and we're trying to be as consistent as possible. It wasn't perfect, but I think we were in control for most of the game."
 
Hamadeh topped both sides of the scoresheet with 14.5 points, while Evan Cranshaw added 11. Chris Newcombe also hit double digits, recording 10.5 points in the win.
 
Windsor was led by John Moate and Pierce Johnson who each contributed 10.5 points, while Brad Gyemi – one of the ten highest scoring athletes in the league – was limited to ten points and far off his usual points per set average of four.
 
Despite Western jumping out to a fast four-point lead, the Lancers began to slowly cut away at the Mustangs lead throughout the set.
 
Cranshaw and Newcombe stole the show in the first set, combining for ten points. Hamadeh and Mike Choja also made an impact on the Lancers, as Western claimed a 25-19 win in the opening frame.
 
The two teams traded points to begin the second, with the game tied at 7-7 before the Mustangs began to pull away.
 
Setter Matt Hooker relied on veteran Bryn Ramsay to generate points, while Hamadah also stood out as one of Western's premiere hitters. The Ottawa native recorded a team leading six kills in the second frame, while continuing to be one of the most frequently set athletes on the court.
 
Windsor initially had luck blocking Western's heavy hitters but as the set wore on the Mustangs began to break through.
 
Hamadeh earned the final point of the set for the Mustangs at 25-21, giving the purple and white a two set advantage heading into the third.   
 
Windsor began the third set with their first early lead of the match. Instead of focusing on power and speed in their attack and serve, the Lancers began to lay off the gas in favour of accuracy.
 
However, the Mustangs quickly tied the game at 6-6 and only continued to thrive after that point. Western was able to rely on the same pillars that had allowed them to hit the 25-point mark in the previous two sets as they made quick work of the Lancers.
 
Serve receive was also a strong point for the Mustangs, who allowed only one ace in the final set, and two across all three sets.
 
Well in charge of the pace of the game following the technical timeout, Western cruised to a 25-16 win.
 
"We were expecting a little more fire from them," noted Hamadeh. "They seemed to roll over a little bit after the second set. When you're down 2-0 it's kind of tough to come back."
 
The diverse offensive capabilities of Western's lineup were highlighted throughout the game as Hooker refused to rely on a single option to generate points.
 
"Matt Hooker works hard and he studies hard. His volleyball mind is exceptional," noted Sage about Western's starting setter and his role in the team's success. "He's always processing information to make the best decisions. He's underrated when it comes to that. He's also a great student-athlete. He does really well in school and you can see that on the court. He thinks the game."
 
The Mustangs will return to the court next weekend, when they travel to Waterloo and Guelph for a pair of games on Saturday and Sunday.
 
"The meaty part of our season starts right now," said Sage. "Waterloo and Guelph are right in our sights, so it'll be a tough weekend with quick turnover between matches. We talked about it, we know what's coming up, and we're prepared for it. We're kind of excited about it, just to give ourselves a really good test against those teams and see where it takes us."