HAMILTON, Ont. – The Mustangs upended the perennial OUA titans in the McMaster Marauders on Saturday afternoon, bringing Mac's 14-game win streak to an end with a 3-1 Western victory (25-23, 25-17, 20-25, 25-23) at the Burridge Gym.
 
With the win Western's record moves to 12-3, to remain in second place in the OUA West. McMaster still sits at the top of the league and are now 14-2 on the season.
 
Chris Newcombe led the purple and white offensive effort throughout the afternoon, generating 18 points. Twelve came from his attack, while another three were produced from the service line, and he added another three from solo blocks.
 
Evan Hammond and Evan Cranshaw added in 12 and 11.5 points respectively, as the only other two Mustangs to record points in the double digits.
 
Veteran Brandon Koppers led the Marauders on senior night, recording 21 points. Along with his 18 kills, the fifth-year added an ace and two solo blocks for McMaster.
 
A slow start put the Mustangs down early on, but a quick time-out call from head coach Jim Sage put the team back on track to tie the set at 12-12.
 
Blocking was one of the greatest challenges the Mustangs faced, with McMaster's roster being taller than usual for the OUA. Matt Passalent and Koppers in particular were causing problems for Western, and as a result Hooker turned to his middles.
 
Newcombe and Hammond became the most effective weapons for the Mustangs, able to get around the barrier and escaping the set with few errors between the two of them.
 
The two teams went point-for-point as the 20-point marker approached, with the Marauders seemly losing focus as the end of the game approached. Despite having one of the most efficient offences in the league, McMaster struggled to keep the ball within the confines of the court.
 
Of the three highest scoring athletes on the Mac roster, two held negative hitting percentages by the end of the set.
 
A service error would bring an end to the first set, giving the Mustangs a 25-23 win.
 
The second set saw longer rallies than the first, prominently featuring the defensive efforts of both teams that typically fly under the radar.
 
For the Mustangs, Hooker took control in the backcourt which allowed rookie libero Evan Hochman to step in and set up his fellow Mustangs.  Hochman first hit the court midway through the first and seamlessly integrated into the lineup, while also performing impressively when being made the target of some of the OUA's best servers.
 
The backcourt athletes did get some relief from the front line, as they managed to effectively shut down usual McMaster standout Koppers and Passalent. Hammond and Bryn Ramsay were both effective at the net, while several blocks from Hooker didn't end up on the scoresheet after being continued by McMaster.
 
Richards was a standout on the floor for the Marauders, and one of the only hitters who was able to consistently beat the Mustangs. His performance, however, was not enough to carry the team.
 
Western would be handed the final point of the set with a serving error for a 25-17 victory.
 
The third set was similar to the first, with the Marauders building up a small lead early – but this time was able to keep Western at an arm's length.
 
Craig Ireland and Bennett Swan made the difference for McMaster, both having far more luck in beating the purple and white blockers than their teammates.
 
The Western block that had terrorized the Marauders in the previous set was nowhere to be seen, as McMaster showcased their top hitters to have the most offensively dominant set of the match. After struggling for the first two frames, Koppers was finally in peak form and able to swing at full capacity.
 
Western struggled to handle the increased energy on the other end of the floor, and would ultimately drop the set 20-25.
 
Koppers continued his fiery play well into the fourth set, keeping the Marauders just barely ahead of the Mustangs. Two points would separate the teams for much of the set, with an ace from Newcombe tying the game at 18-18.
 
The Marauders switched up the lineup several times throughout the set, with the substitution of Passalent in favour of Ireland perhaps making the biggest different. Passalent is typically a standout on the McMaster roster, but had struggled against the Mustangs all match in all aspects of the game.
 
Western too had a variation of the usual suspects out on the floor, with Gianfranco Sartor and Brady Fidler both making an impact on the floor.Cranshaw would end up generating the bulk of Western's points in the final set, supported by team-wide strong serving.
 
Newcombe ended the set at 25-23 with a final kill, to give the Mustangs a 3-1 victory.
 
Western will be back in action next weekend, for their final pair of regular season games. They'll host the Gryphons and Warriors, with the matchup against Waterloo serving as team's annual Senior Day contest. Game time for both nights is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.