The Mustangs are headed to the OUA Final Four for the third time in as many years, and will be looking to improve upon the previous seasons' bronze medal finish. The first team standing between Western and an OUA banner is the Toronto Varsity Blues, who topped the Mustangs in four sets in the regular season.
 
Kelsey Veltman can be expected to lead the offence just as she has all year long. The third-year middle finished the regular season as the second highest scoring athlete per set (5.2 points) behind only Toronto's Alina Dormann. A two-time All-Canadian, Veltman has only once recorded fewer than ten points, and the Varsity Blues will be looking to limit the success of the three-time OUA West Player of the Year on Friday night.
 
As a whole, Western's offence is the highest scoring in the OUA. Earning an average of 16.3 points per set, they narrowly edge out Toronto (16.3) for first place. Dormann is the player to watch on Toronto's roster, as the second-year right side leads the OUA with 5.3 points per set.
 
Making the two athletes even more similar is their list of commendations. Both have previously held CIS Rookie of the Year titles, while being named OUA Player of the Year – divided by the East and West conferences – every season they've competed. This year marks the third title for Veltman, and the second for Dormaan.
 
The two teams are fairly evenly matched throughout the roster, with Western's second highest scoring player in Aja Gyimah (3.3) just edging above Toronto's Anna Feore. Even if you extend the list to the third highest scoring player by set, only a tenth of a point separates the averages of Toronto's Anna Licht and Candice Scott.
 
With the top offensive powers in the league going head-to-head, fans can also expect some of the best defensive action of the year. Statistically neither team has much to show in terms of defence as rallies typically don't last long, but that hasn't stopped Varsity Blues libero Asli Ersozoglu from making a name for herself independently.  
 
Ersozoglu sits third overall in the conference in both digs (282) and digs per set (4.48) and has formed the backbone of Toronto's game for the last few seasons. Setter Madelyn Mandrake is the second most reliable in the backcourt, averaging 3.19 per set.
 
The Varsity Blues have yet to lose a game, and only dropped nine sets throughout the year. Since the beginning of last year's exhibition season, only an October 16 pre-season game against Trinity Western has stained Toronto's record.
 
Whichever team wins the matchup will progress to the gold medal final, where they'll take on the winner of the Ryerson-McMaster matchup on Saturday at 8 p.m. The losing teams will play for bronze at 6 p.m.
 
The Mustangs topped the Ryerson Rams in four sets earlier this year, but since then both teams have had several months to change their style of play.
 
Ryerson seems to have become stronger offensively as rookies Cailin Wark and Lauren Veltman settled into the OUA style of play. The duo are tied for third on the roster in points per set, each averaging 2.7.  
 
Julie Longman has continued to be the backbone of their defensive game, being named an OUA First Team All-Star earlier today.
 
McMaster is a bit of a wildcard, with the two matches Western has played against them going in completely opposite directions. The first saw a three set sweep by the Mustangs, while the second matchup saw McMaster pull out a 3-1 victory to hand Western their first loss of the season.
 
A lack of consistency from both teams was arguably the biggest factor in the varied outcomes, with either team having shown that they can compete with the best in the nation when focused.
 
Joanna Jedrzejewska has led the maroon and white offensive effort this season (3.7 points per set), while Rebecca Steckle and Aleks Arsovic have also put in noteworthy performances. Middle Maicee Sorenson is, as she has been for several seasons now, a powerhouse at the net and at the service line.
 
All OUA Final-Four games are available to be streamed live online on OUA.tv. The Mustangs and Varsity Blues are first up on the schedule, with their OUA Semifinal contest set for Friday at 6 p.m. in Toronto.