Important matches seem to be a constant for the Marauder women's volleyball team as they rapidly approach the business end of the season, and the looming two-day trip to Windsor and London this weekend is no different.

While McMaster's men's team sits comfortably, eight points and three wins clear of their nearest competition in the OUA, the women contend with a very tight top end of the OUA West division, which they lead by just two points over the second-placed Western Mustangs. This weekend's road trip, then, represents a golden opportunity for the Marauders to gain separation from their closest competitors, as well as the third-placed Windsor Lancers, who sit eight points adrift.

Riding high from the convincing sweep of a home doubleheader against Ottawa and Guelph a week ago, McMaster's first stop on the trip is Windsor, where they meet the Lancers Friday at 6:00 p.m. The Marauders made short work of the Lancers when they met in Hamilton in November, winning their match 25-19, 25-14 and 25-13.

If Windsor has any hope of revenge on Friday, the Lancers will need a sizeable contribution from veteran middle Shannon Dean, who has operated as Windsor's most reliable hitting option this season, ranking in the top 10 in the conference in kills per set and hitting average. Her partner in the middle, Emily McCloskey is the team's best blocker, while a young cast on the outside, including rookie Jade Ziebarth, will be counted upon to ease the attacking pressure on Dean.

In November's matchup, McMaster effectively stifled Windsor's offence, holding them to a team hitting percentage of just 2.1, and forcing four hitters into negatives figures. A stout blocking performance from the middle pair of Maicee Sorensen and Taylor Brisebois was a large reason why, and Mac will likely look for more of the same on Friday.

The marquee matchup of the weekend falls on Saturday in London, where the Marauders tangle yet again with their perennial rival, the Western Mustangs. In winning the team's first meeting of the season in Hamilton in November, McMaster neutralized several of Western's most dangerous hitters, while finding openings for their own powerful veterans.

But one key member of the Mustangs puzzle was missing, with defending OUA West Rookie and Player of the Year Kelsey Veltman out of the match with a nagging injury. She is healthy once again entering play this weekend, and has largely returned to form, sitting in conference's top 10 in points and kills per set, and second in blocks per set with 1.23.

Veltman is hardly a lone weapon in the Western arsenal, however, as Aja Gyimah stands as a top-10 hitter in the OUA on the right side, and the Mustangs boast variety and depth on the left with Serena Smith, Taylor Beedie and Katie McKenna all ready to contribute. Pulling the offensive strings, Katherine Tsiofas continues to be one of the most reliable setters in the OUA in her third season, and sits third in the conference with an average of 9.21 assists per set.

Overcoming that group will require the very best that Mac has to offer, with the Marauders eager to pressure their opponents from the service line and deny Tsiofas' first-choice offence.

The CIS no. 1-ranked Marauder men, meanwhile, will look to extend their perfect 14-0 start to the OUA season as they continue to deal with a rash of injury concerns. A week ago, a bench-heavy unit that comprised of two rookies, four sophomores and just one regular veteran starter in Pawel Jedrzejewski, swept aside the Guelph Gryphons, and Mac will likely feature much of that same group on the road.

They begin their weekend trip against the 3-9 Windsor Lancers, who sit second from the bottom in the OUA standings and were easily dispatched in three straightforward sets at the Burridge Gym in November.

Fifth-year middle Josh Edwards has been a bright spot for the offensively-starved Lancers, and will likely see high volume once again on Friday, as will rookie right side Brad Gyemi, who is one of just two Windsor players inside the OUA's top 20 in kills and points per set. McMaster will have to be wary of the considerable block presented by Edwards and partner John Moate in the middle, but should give their opponents headaches with their wealth of attacking options on the outside.

A day later, McMaster visits another team that has struggled to find consistent offence in 2015-16, as the Western Mustangs find themselves in an unfamiliar position at 6-6 and fifth in the OUA standings.

Offensively, the Mustangs are led by the outside duo of Gavin Taylor and Zeid Hamadeh, with the two players leading Western in usage and subsequently, in points and kills. Fifth-year senior Doug Austrom also remains in the mix on the outside, while the experienced duo of Mike Choja and Chris Newcombe patrol the middle.

McMaster largely halted the Western offence in the two teams' last meeting in November, with the Mustangs hitting just 14 per cent as a team. A radically different Marauder team will look to do the same on Saturday.

All four of the Marauders matches this weekend will be webcast live on OUA.tv.