If the hope was to be in a groove heading for the provincials, the Douglas College Royals women’s volleyball team got that and more with Saturday’s regular season finale.
In a home-and-home series against Capilano University to wrap up the PacWest regular season, Douglas emerged with 3-1 and 3-2 decisions to finish second overall at 18-6 and on a six-game win streak.
“I feel it was real beneficial to be in that situation, we came away pretty confident,” Douglas head coach Jeff Ross said over the phone en route to Cranbrook. “Ever since we lost to (Vancouver Island) a month ago we’ve kind of played stronger.”
The No. 3-ranked team in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association, the Royals are on course for big things this season, but are fully aware that it all comes down to court play – and this weekend at the PacWest provincial championships in the East Kootenay town.
It’s exactly what they’ve pushed for all year long.
Douglas, with a lineup loaded with returning veterans from last year’s national silver medalists, has weathered some storms to get to this point, but none that knocked it off the charted course.
They’ve rolled up six straight wins since dropping the first two games of the New Year – to archrival Vancouver Island, who also beat them last year in the national final.
“We want to get to the nationals, and that’s been our aim from the beginning,” said Ross. “Losing those two games after the (winter) break was probably a good thing. Teams tend to be a bit sloppy coming back and that’s pretty much what happened.”
With their 3-2 triumph on Saturday over Capilano University, Douglas College showed that no matter the situation, they can bring the noise.
The New West-based team was pushed to match point and appeared poised to drop their seventh match of the season before a huge block by third-year setter Abby Mitro recalibrated the momentum, setting in play a comeback where they scored the final four points.
On the strength of Vania Oliveira’s kill the Royals went ahead 13-11, and finished it on two Cap attacking errors.
If there was a message in the mix, being as the game was of no consequence to the standings, it was that the second-place Royals have the means and ways to get the job done – no matter what that job is.
With 15 players from last year’s provincial champions in the lineup, the Royals can chalk experience on their side.
“Last year’s result was motivation but not something we wanted to dwell on,” said Ross. “We’re just a more experienced team,” noted Ross.
The Blues came out extremely determined Saturday to spoil Douglas’ seniors night, raking to a 2-0 lead (21-25, 11-25). The Royals struck back to make it 2-1, but found themselves trailing 24-22 in the fourth set after the Caps’ Brazilian transfer student-athlete Isabela Lima drove home a big spike to make it match point.
That’s when the veterans came up big. After Mitro’s block made it a one-point deficit, the tandem of Oliveira and Kendra Potskin knocked down another Lima attack. Then outside hitter Caet McCorkell speared her eighth kill of the night to put them up. Oliveria, a Rio de Janeiro native and last year’s provincial MVP, went to the net again and locked in the winning point on a block.
It set the stage for the deciding set, but also a tone that the team takes with it to this weekend’s provincials in Cranbrook.
Repeating as provincial champions would be a great stamp, but having done that last year only to lose to their B.C. rival in a rematch in the national final, the big picture is firmly in focus. Playing their best and being a finalist, which guarantees a trip to the nationals, March 6 to 9 in Welland, Ont., is the goal.
“When we came back from match point and had to win out that was very positive, and it’s kind of how things have gone. We’ve really come together and grown as a group,” noted Ross.
Prior to the start of the provincials, the PacWest announced its all-stars, with Oliveira, Olivia Cesaretti and Caet McCorkell drawing honours. Oliveira was named to the first all-star team, while both Cesaretti and McCorkell were selected to the second squad. Grace Warkentin, meanwhile, was named to the All-Rookie team.
As a top-two finisher, Douglas received a bye into Friday’s semifinals, where they will meet the winner of the Camosun-College of the Rockies match. The championship final goes Saturday in Cranbrook.
The Douglas College Royals didn’t plan to leave it to last, but all the same they will take it.
The No. 1 team in the PacWest men’s volleyball circuit did Saturday what they hadn’t been able to do in three previous meetings, knocking off the Capilano University Blues in league play.
It came on the last day of the regular season, and two days after the North Van squad ended Douglas’ 10-match win streak.
By splitting the final series, a 3-1 loss on Thursday and a 3-2 victory on Saturday, the Royals can head into this weekend’s provincials with a clear mind.
Led by PacWest player of the year Reid Marriott, the New West-based Royals handed Capilano a defeat for the first time in four tries Saturday, prevailing in a back-and-forth battle 25-21, 16-25, 25-20, 14-25, 15-10.
Marriott racked up 23 kills and 10 digs, finishing the season second in the league in kills with 313 and first in hitting percentage at .311. He’s only the third PacWest player to reach the 300-mark as a sophomore.
Max Haronga picked up 14 kills and 10 digs, while Ben Shand knocked down 13 kills of his own.
In their loss, Douglas dropped the opening set 25-19, rallied with a strong 22-25 decision in the second set, but couldn’t repeat it as Capilano rolled on with 25-22, 25-17 decisions.
Haronga, who would make the league’s All-Rookie team and be named the Rookie of the Year, led the Royals with 13 kills and 11 digs.
The squad topped the league with a 20-4 record, with three of their losses coming at the hands of third-place Capilano.
Earning second team all-star honours were Jared Collins and Greg Moore, while coach Jay Tremonti was named coach of the year.
The provincials get under way Thursday, with the Royals getting a bye to Friday’s semifinals. They will play the winner of Vancouver Island and host College of the Rockies.
