KINGSTON, Ont. (February 4, 2012) -  The Queen's Gaels (11-6) continued their strong play of late capturing their fifth straight win as they upset the No. 5 Western Mustangs (15-2) in straight sets (29-27, 25-20, 25-23).

The team has gone four straight games without dropping a set as they continue to improve as the OUA playoffs and CIS Championships approach.

Joren Zeeman of Cambridge, Ont. was just one part of what was a strong Gaels team this afternoon. Whether it was by a rally kept alive by the diving elbow of Ottawa native Alex Oenid, a shutdown block Michael Amoroso of Toronto, or a timely kill by Zeeman, the fans were brought to their feet several times today.

After winning the first set by the slimmest of margins, and allowing the Mustangs to press the set to 29 points, the Gaels defense tightened up. Queen's would end up with 60 digs in three sets, which in comparison to the Mustangs' 40 dig effort, can help explain the sweep victory for the Gaels.

Niko Rukavina of Missisaugua, Ont. seemed to be everywhere at once, posting a well-rounded eight kills, 14 digs, and two block assist effort. Rukavina was joined by teammates Oneid and Jackson Dakin of Courtenay, B.C. in fueling the Gaels defense, as all three would end up with 14 digs on the afternoon.

Amoroso imposed his will upon his opponents up at the net, closing the gap to register three solo blocks, three block assists and swatting home five kills.

The Mustangs were led by Matt Poulin of Shanty Bay, Ont., who had 10 kills on the night.

The Gaels are back in action again tomorrow against the Windsor Lancers (3-14) at 2pm. in the ARC. 

Queen's honoured their graduating athlete's prior to the game. This season sees a large group finishing off their Gaels careers as eight members will finish their careers at Queen's. 

Michael Amoroso
Graduating in Gender Studies this 5th year Middle continues to be a dominant force at the net for the Gaels.  He is a two-time OUA First Team All-Star and 2010 OUA Champion.

Bryan Fautley
This fifth year left-side player will graduate with an honours degree in Physical and Health Education this year and has been a two-time academic All-Canadian.  He was a 2011 OUA Second Team All-Star and he contributed 193 kills and earned 3.22 points per set for the Gaels and a  31.7% efficiency at his best.    

Alex Oneid
Earning his degree in History this year – Alex will attend Algonquin College next season – and will play out his final year of eligibility while training to become a fire fighter. 

Anthony Pitfield 
In his fourth year with the Gaels, this Ottawa-based bilingual athlete has developed into a very strong middle player for the Gaels and has held a starting spot in the lineup for the last two seasons.   In both the 2010-11 and 2011-12 season, he has performed amongst the top 16 blockers in the OUA.  

Daniel Rosenbaum
A former Provincial team member and participant in the U19 World Beach Volleyball Championships, Rosie will continue his education next season, with plans to enter the medical profession either through research or becoming a physician. 

Niko Rukavina
Graduating with an honours degree in Health Studies this year, Niko has been a core member of the Gaels line-up for the last five years.  A three-time Queen's athlete of the week, this assistant captain is a past member of the Team Ontario Canada Games team.  Upon graduation, Niko has been asked to join the National Team program and pending a good wheel after one more surgery, Niko hopes to go pro as well. 

Matthew Taylor
An exceptional athlete and great team guy, Matt has unselfishly taken on whatever role the coaches have asked of him, and he has done it with unwaivering effort. An academic All-Canadian, in each of his years at Queen's,  Matt  has already accepted a position in Investment Banking with Barclays Bank out of Toronto.   MATTHEW TAYLOR!!!

Joren Zeeman 
Joren Zeeman is one of the most decorated and exceptional athletes to come through the Queen's program in its 40 year history. Having already earned 1,082 kills for Queen's in his career, Joren has surpassed Queen's previous top scorer Jacob Magolan by almost 200 points to date. 

The Queen's Gaels host the 2012 CIS men's volleyball championships this March 2-4. For more information please visit the CIS Championship website.