Western ended the regular season with a 14-3 record, finishing second overall in the OUA West behind McMaster. Their standing means that the Mustangs will host an OUA quarterfinal matchup, the winner of which will progress to the OUA Final Four.
 
The last three seasons have seen the Mustangs eliminated in the first round, twice by Ryerson and once by Waterloo. The last time Western progressed past that point was in the 2013-14 season, when veteran Chris Newcombe was in his first year with the team, and current assistant coach Justin Scapinello was on the roster.  That year saw the Mustangs go all the way to the CIS Championship, where they would eventually finish in second. 
 
This season is arguably the strongest the Mustangs have had since that year, led by a group of fourth and fifth year veterans.
 
Bryn Ramsay leads the team in points, averaging 3.4 per set.  The nursing student has been a standout all season long, and established himself as the go-to option for setter Matt Hooker early in the season. In addition to being the greatest threat at the net, Ramsay also plays a substantial role in the backcourt, leading the team in digs per set.
 
Fellow graduating senior Newcombe follows on the scoresheet with 3.1 points per set – a combination of kills and blocks. Newcombe earns a point on nearly half of the swings he takes (0.410) to average 2.26 kills per set, while adding 0.89 blocks to his average in each frame.
 
The next three highest scoring players in Evan Cranshaw, Zeid Hamadeh, and Evan Hammond have each been with the team for four years, with senior setter Hooker rounding out the starting lineup. The single exception comes from libero Nathan Phelps, who joined the team in the 2015-16 season after spending a year on Western's JV team. 
 
Western's seven starters have propelled the team to new highs this year with some of the best defensive play in the league. The team's 10.32 digs per set is the third highest average in the league, and Newcome and Hammond have anchored the effort that has made Western one of the OUA's best blocking teams – averaging 2.48 per set (2nd).

OUA Quarter-final
Saturday, March 3 vs. Queen's – 4:30 p.m.
 
Queen's ended the regular season with four straight wins, bringing their record to 10-8 to sit third in the OUA East. Ryerson and York take the two top spots in the East, while Nipissing fills out the final playoff berth.
 
March 3 will be the second time the two teams face off in Alumni Hall this season, with November's contest being a fiercely contested five set battle that ultimately went in favour of the Mustangs (25-19, 18-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-13).
 
Unsurprisingly, Markus Trence led the Gaels' offensive effort – just as he has done all season long. He would generate 20.5 points throughout the five sets of action, with 17 kills, one ace, and a handful of blocks making up the total. His average points per set came out at 4.1 in that game, just slightly below the 4.3 he finished the season with.
 
Trence has twice as many total attacks as the next highest scoring athlete, with Jack Peckham averaging 2.7 points per set.
 
Defensively, Trence continues to be a standout on the roster, leading the team with 2.06 digs per set. Libero Lukas Kaufman follows with 1.94, while Zane Grossinger adds 1.87. The trio has helped Queen's become one of the strongest teams in the league when it comes to defence, keeping the team in system and helping provide a firm base for their attack.
 
Despite their 10-8 record, the Gaels statistically have one of the best offences in the OUA. They total 12.15 kills per set with a .226 hitting percentage – both of which are the second highest in the league.
 
Statistically the Gaels are sound, but they were ranked similarly high in November when the Mustangs came out on top. Heading into the matchup Queen's' boasted the OUA's highest digs per set and kills per set averages, but that didn't stop the Mustangs from offering a more efficient offence (.230 compared to .119) or racking up more digs (51 to 47).