The Mustangs have put together a three-game winning streak over the last few weeks and will have the opportunity to extend it to five this weekend when they hits the road for a pair of rematches against Waterloo and Guelph on Saturday and Sunday.
 
Earlier in the season the Mustangs faced off against Gryphons and Warriors in the same weekend but played vastly different volleyball in each.
 
When playing against the Gryphons back in November, Western struggled with unforced errors and fell to Guelph in three sets. However, when the team returned to Alumni Hall on Sunday to take on the Warriors, everything fell into place, with the purple and white taking a straight sets win. Following the game, head coach Jim Sage described the effort as one "one of [the team's] best performances."
 
Chris Newcombe topped the scoresheet in the three set sweep over Waterloo, while Bryn Ramsay has led the Mustangs offensively throughout the season.
 
Ramsay, a fourth year Nursing student, averages a team-leading 3.3 points per set, totalling 128 across the season. The Whitby native emerged towards the end of the 2015-16 season as one of the preeminent threats on the purple and white roster and has only continued to grow as an athlete.
 
Now more than halfway into the season, Ramsay leads the team in digs per set (1.82), kills per set (2.59), points per set (3.3), and is second in aces per set (0.36).
 
Matt Hooker continues in his role as starting setter, while Nathan Phelps has continued as the go-to libero after winning the spot last season.
 
Western will head into their weekend on the road with a 7-4 record, with the team going 4-1 in the New Year.
 
Saturday, February 11 – Western at Waterloo – 8 p.m. – Watch live on OUA.tv
 
Waterloo will first host the Lancers before welcoming the Mustangs to the PAC Gymnasium, and will be looking to improve upon their 5-6 record as playoffs approach.
 
In November's matchup Braden Cok was the primary threat on the court offensively, although middle Jordan McConkey also had success in breaking through the purple and white defence. Aidan Simone rounded out the trio of highest scoring athletes after a 9.5-point performance against the Mustangs.
 
Cok has topped scoresheets throughout the entirety of the season to average a team-leading 4.2 points per set. Rookie Kevin Lebreux – though unable to produce much against the Mustangs earlier in the season – can also be expected to make an impact.  The 6-11 left side averages 3.1 points per set and has totalled 104.5 to be the third highest scoring athlete on the team despite not yet carving out a starting spot.
 
McConkey will pose a direct challenge to Ramsay, Evan Cranshaw, and Newcombe at the net, as the best blocker on the Warriors roster.
 
The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., following a game between the teams' female counterparts. Fans can catch all the action live on OUA.tv.
 
Sunday, February 12 – Western at Guelph – 2 p.m. – Watch live on OUA.tv
 
The Gryphons hold an 8-4 record heading into their weekend contests, beginning with Windsor and ending with the Mustangs in the recently constructed Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre.
 
Kendrick Kerr led Guelph over Western in three sets in November and has continued to lead the team since that point. The 6-6 middle blocker averages 3.4 points per set, depending on both hitting and blocking to push the score along.
 
Another player fans should keep an eye on is Zachary Newman. His 281 total attacks make him the preferred target for setter Samuel Kloke, averaging 3.2 points per set. The right side hasn't been as strong at the base line though, recording 47 errors through 12 games.
 
Seeing as Western's serving game has been increasingly lethal throughout the season – largely thanks to Ramsay, Gavin Taylor, and Zeid Hamadeh – the Gryphons won't be able to afford to give away points on Sunday.
 
The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., with live streaming of the game available on OUA.tv.