The Mustangs will be looking for their eighth and ninth straight wins this weekend, as they hit the road to take on the Toronto Varsity Blues and the Trent Excalibur.
 
Western's 9-2 record puts them second in a competitive OUA West division, only one win back from tying the Marauders for first. The Windsor Lancers are hot on the Mustangs' trail however, with an 8-4 record of their own to sit in third.
 
This weekend will be the first time the Mustangs have met either Toronto or Trent on the court this regular season, with both teams hailing from the OUA East Division.
 
Western's presence on the court has steadily increased since the start of the season, with the purple and white attack becoming increasingly precise. The team average currently sits at .221, as led by middles Evan Hammond and Chris Newcombe. The pair are both hitting at above .400 percent, but it's outside Bryn Ramsay who has been generating the bulk of the points for Western.
 
Ramsey, a fifth year veteran, averages 3.15 kills per set and 3.7 points to lead the purple and white roster. Newcombe follows with 3.0 points per set from 2.12 kills and .90 blocks per set.
 
Also contributing to the success of the Mustangs is a tight defensive coverage – led in part by Ramsay.
 
Western averages 10.63 digs per set, which is good for the third best average in the OUA.  Starting setter Matt Hooker contributes 2.10 per set to lead the team in the backcourt, while Ramsay adds 2.08. Libero Nathan Phelps rounds out the effort with 2.05.
 
Hooker and Ramsay's averages put them comfortably among the OUA's most valuable backcourt athletes, with the pair ranking fifth and sixth respectively.
 
Friday, February 2 at Toronto – 8 pm
 
The Mustangs will visit the Varsity Blues for their first contest of the weekend, hosted in the Goldring Centre.
 
Toronto currently sits in a three-way tie for third place in the OUA East alongside Queen's and Nipissing, with an even 6-6 record.
 
Western has already topped Queen's this season (25-19, 18-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-13) in addition to Nipissing (25-18, 25-17, 25-20). The Mustangs have yet to meet Toronto on the floor during regulation play, but did secure a 3-1 victory earlier this year in the annual York Excalibur Tournament.
 
Alex Barnes can be expected to lead the team at the net, as his 4.27 kills per set is the best in the OUA. His attack is also among the most efficient in the league, at .308.
 
Left side Nicholas Trewern follows with a .224 hitting percent, and 2.98 kills per set.
 
However, the greatest threat to Western's win streak is the defensive abilities of the Varsity Blues. With 12.71 digs per set, they are one of the most successful in the league when it comes to continuing rallies.
 
Barnes and Jordan Figueira have led the team throughout the season to rank second and third in the OUA digs per set category. Trewern and Ken Dobson have also supplied solid support in the backcourt this season, but that seems to be where the consistency ends.
 
The Varsity Blues lineup seems to be subject to change more often than their counterparts, with only one athlete playing in all 41 sets this season.
 
Andrew Kos, the only libero to hit the floor in all 12 games, has only amassed 19 digs this season. Meanwhile backup libero Alex Ferris – who has only competed in 29 sets – totals 44. The third libero on the roster is freshman Daniel Tudor, who totals 42 digs after 23 sets.
 
Toronto's revolving door of liberos is likely a result of head coach John Barrett being liberal with substitutions for hitters when they move into the back three positions. The practice is nothing new to the Mustangs, who tend to send in libero and defensive/serving specialist Matt Stasiuk to add some stability on the floor.
 
Game time is set to begin at 8 pm, following a matchup between the women's teams.
 
Saturday, February 3 at Trent – 8 pm
 
The Trent Excalibur moved into the OUA last season after several years of competing in the college division. The team is still adapting to the increased level of play, and currently hold a 0-10 record this season.
 
Of the 24 sets the team has played this season, only four went their way. Two came off the Toronto Varsity Blues, while RMC and Queen's each gave up a set to the Excalibur.
 
As a whole, the Trent Excalibur rank at the bottom of the league in nearly every statistical category. The only area where they're able to beat out their opponents is in serving consistency.
 
Trent holds the fewest number of service errors in the OUA (105), while the Mustangs follow only two spots behind with a total of 125. However, this is likely more a result of an overall fewer number of serves – and therefore fewer chances for error than an example of Trent's serving prowess.
 
Offensively, Trent has been led by middle Emmanuel Danso-Amofa and outside Omer Suliman. Suliman lead at the net with 1.65 kills per game, while Danso-Amofa' 2.1 points lead the team.