The Douglas College Royals moved up to second overall in a national Canadian Colleges’ men’s volleyball poll this week.
“We’ve only been No. 1 once, and it lasted just a week, so two’s not bad,” said Royals’ head coach Brad Hudson. “We talk a lot about other (teams). If we’re working twice as hard as well (to stay there), they’ll have to work four times as hard, and over time that’s quite difficult.”
Douglas improved to 6-0 in the PacWest last weekend, including an 18-3 advantage in sets won and lost, to move into sole possession of first place following straight-set wins over Columbia Bible College.
The Royals are currently showing their prowess at the net with four players in the PacWest top 10 in individual blocks, including third-year middle Scott Devlin, freshman Matt Santema and sophomore George Thompson holding down the top-three spots.
Santema is also second in kills, with 75 winners, while Thompson is fifth overall with 68 successful swings. The two outside hitters are currently first and third in total offence, respectively.
The women Royals stole a pair of wins from CBC last week, winning in four sets in the opener before taking the Saturday game on a fifth-set tiebreak.
Douglas is in Abbotsford this weekend against Fraser Valley.
The Douglas women’s basketball team is also undefeated, sharing top spot with Quest University, both schools at 3-0 after week 2 in the PacWest.
Adelia Paul was a key contributor, with 11 points, in handing Vancouver Island University its first loss of the season. The Royals team captain also had 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in a 68-55 win over Camosun.
Paul currently leads the league with 21 assists. Teammate Shanice Fuoco-Guy is fourth with 10 helpers.
Sarah Jorgenson is in top-10 scoring, averaging 11.67 points per game. Rachel Beauchamp, who had 12 points and 14 boards in the win over Camosun, is sixth overall with 21 total rebounds.
In men’s hoops, Malcolm Mensah led all scorers with 20 points to lead Douglas to its first win of the season 99-69 over Camosun.
The Douglas hosts Columbia Bible College and Kwantlen Polytechnic this weekend.
