Looking back

> Reviewing the women’s volleyball season

Davie Wong
Sports Editor

 

L was a rollercoaster of a sea-
son for the women’s volleyball
team. While they didn’t get the
finish they were looking for, there
were certainly bright points to
their season. Head coach Kyra
Jannone took the time to answer
a few questions regarding her
team and the year they had.

Iannone was pleased with
her fourth-place squad: “Iam
really impressed with the team’s
performance. We had so many
firsts: Our first home opener win,
our first sweep, our first time
winning a set in provincials, our
first time going into provincials
ranked top four, and our first
time being undefeated in league
against an opponent. We really
took the program to the next lev-
el this year.”

Twice, the Royals were
undefeated for two weeks in a
row. While some may critique
the quality of teams they faced
in that span, one must remem-
ber the competiveness of the
PACWEST with the “worst” team
able to beat the “best” team on
the right day.

“Tam very proud of all the
small legacy accomplishments
as mentioned earlier. | am also

However, there are always
the low-points to every season.
This season, it was probably the
six-game losing streak the team
experienced in the month of No-

season, stating that she would
not do anything different.

For every successful season,
there are key players who make
it possible. For the Royals, as

Courtney Wilson was always
there when we needed her. Taylor
Bain came back in semester two
and was one of our best players
in our last match, but overall, we

mentioned by Iannone, the play
of Penner, Dunn, and Davidson
stood out, Iannone also took the
time to highlight some of the key
players on her roster who were
not named to all-star squads.
“You can see who were awarded
All-Stars, but we had a lot of
really improved and impactful
players this season. Fourth-year

vember. But nothing really gets
harder to swallow than falling
short in the playoffs. lannone was
asked about the team’s finish, to
which she said: “Losing in pro-
vincials is never easy. | am proud
of the season but our finish has
something left to be desired.”
Despite that, she firmly believes
in the progress they’ve made this

proud of the girls’ commitment
to competition and culture this
season. I am very proud of having
Darby Dunn on the All-Rookie
team and the second-team All-
Star team, along with teammates
Juliana Penner as a second-team
All-Star and Autumn Davidson as
All-Rookie team player.”

Player Profile: Carson Heppell

had many great performers.

To assist the team in transi-
tioning into a younger and stron-
ger squad, a number of talented
rookie players pitched in as more
than visible cogs. Dunn in par-
ticular was named the PACWEST
Rookie of the Year for her efforts.
Iannone acknowledged some of
her younger players as well. “Dar-

> Future star? Perhaps so

Davie Wong
Sports Editor

 

Cenne into the 2015-16

campaign, many would say
that there was a lot of pressure
on the shoulders of second-year
player Carson Heppell. After
being named the PACWEST
Rookie of the Year and being
selected to the PACWEST All-
Rookie Team last year, Heppell
came into the new season witha
lot to prove. However, although
many players recognize Heppell
for his excellent play on the court,
not many players truly know
Heppell.

Born on August 6, 1996,
Heppell spent most of his youth
playing a variety of different
sports, It wasn’t until the
beginning of his teenage years
that he discovered volleyball.

There was an immediate
connection to the sport that was
different than the others. Heppell
was drawn to the intensity of
volleyball matches. He enjoyed
the pace of the game most,
finding it to be a perfect fit for
him.

His passion for the game
would help him become one
of the best in the province for
his age group and lead him to
several accomplishments during
his high school career at Langley
Fundamental. This would transfer
with him as he moved on to
postsecondary, and straight into
the Royals. Heppell made an
immediate impact for the team,
all while remaining extremely
humble about it.

Heppell is also a team first
type of person. He strives to be
the best teammate he can be
and to continually positively

contribute to his squad as

much as he can. His unselfish
attitude regarding playing time
and sacrifice makes him an
essential member on a team that
is unusually deep in skill. And
while there is always pressure to
perform well, Heppell knows that
if he’s having an off-day, he has a
whole line of teammates ready to
back him up.

During his time at Douglas
College, Heppell is furthering his
education in the field of business.
Although he is uncertain
regarding his future, Heppell
knows that he’s got a few more
years left at Douglas and intends
to make them count.

Meanwhile, during the
off-season, you will rarely find
Heppell indoors. A lover of the
Canadian wilderness, he spends
much of his time away enjoying
the best of nature.

 

 

Image via Douglas College Student Services Flickr

' ey

by obviously was the top rookie in
the league, but Autumn Davidson
and Claudia Corneil were also
very strong for us.”

Looking back on the year,
it’s been one of accomplishment.
Although the end goal of making
it to the national stage was put on
the backburner for another year,
the team can be proud of their
many accomplishments. “This
program is just building, settling
into its progress and learning. |
am proud of this team and the
girls who are a part of it.”

Photo by Alvin Lescano