sports // 18 First things first » Men's volleyball takes gold at provincials Eric Wilkins Sports Editor “sports _ @theotherpress.ca hen the men’s volleyball team headed to Capilano University for provincials, they had one goal in mind: qualify for nationals. After three games in three days, they’d done just that. But it wasn’t enough for them to simply sneak in; instead, they secured their berth at the national tournament by finishing solidly above their competition and taking home a gold medal. The first day was a quarterfinal date with the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners. While VIU put up a fight, Douglas eventually prevailed in five sets (25-23, 25- 13, 21-25, 24-26, 15-10). In the semi-final, the Royals were up against the number two seed, the Camosun College Chargers. The squad made short work of the Chargers though, taking it in straight sets (25-21, 25-15, 25-21). And then, just like that, the Royals were in the final and playing for PACWEST supremacy against the Columbia Bible College (CBC) Bearcats. They’d already locked up a berth for nationals, but the team didn't seem satisfied with the result— they were hungry for more. The first set went to CBC 25-22, but as noted by coach Hudson after the game, the team played their game Clutch : all day: “We started a little bit : slow, which you kind of expect. : The first time you do anything is : always the most difficult and that : was their first gold medal match. : After we stabilized in the first, : we were fine. We just couldn’t get : over the hump we'd made early.’ In the second set, the Royals : started to take over. PACWEST : Rookie of the Year Caleb Konrad : seemed to be in on every play, : setting up his teammates for kill : after kill, and even supplying a : deft tip of his own at the net— : catching the Bearcats off guard. : It seemed like every Royal was : on their game that day,andthe_ : : set was finished off by PACWEST : : Second Team All-Star Drew Ruby : after a set from Angus Ireland. In case CBC had any doubts : about how the rest of the match : was to go, Andrew Robson : cleared them up with a huge : block to start the third set. Fellow : : middle Nicholas Bridle helped : to make life at the net hell for : the CBC attackers by coming : up with a block of his own : early on. The Royals just kept : rolling from there. The Bearcats : called timeouts at 5-2 and 12-4 : in a desperate attempt to slow : Douglas’ momentum down, but : it was no use. End of the third : made the game 2-1 for the Royals : after a 25-16 performance. In what was to be the final : set, the Royals made sure they : were ready to play. Proving his : mettle in the biggest game of : the year, George Thompson had : five kills in the fourth. It was a : tight set, but Douglas got it done : when it counted most. With the : score tied at 21, the teams went : ona long rally—with many in the : crowd standing or clinging to the : edges of their seats—which the : Royals ultimately took after the : Bearcats hit long. And then, ina : clutch showing, PACWEST First : Team All-Star and tournament : MVP Andrew McWilliam : dropped not one, not two, but : three aces in a row to win the ; game 25-21. Konrad spoke to how the : team pulled off their provincials’ : win: “Just a lot of heart. Over the : week training before provincials, : we just really came together as a : team and bonded. We went out : there and played for each other : instead of ourselves.” Ruby was taking it all in as : the Royals and their supporters celebrated the victory, “We've : come so far. I’m so damn proud : of everyone on this team. I : never would have thought that : this would be accomplished. : It’s amazing right now. I can’t : describe it” The moment was not lost : on the PACWEST Coach of the : Year, as Hudson talked about : his squad: “I’ve got no words... : it’s an exceptional group of : young men with undeniable : talent, undeniable character, and : undeniable ability. They really : started to play for each other and : realize that responsibility. That : was the difference for them.” » Women’s basketball seals a provincial seat Courtnie Martin Sports Reporter We the up-and-down tumble season the women’s basketball team has had, it came down to the final game against Langara College Falcons to secure a provincial berth. Sitting in fifth place, the Royals had to beat the Falcons to be guaranteed a seat. Since Langara had defeated the Royals in two games earlier in the season, it would by no means be an easy game. The Royals came out strongly, holding the Falcons to nine points for nearly 16 minutes. But while the Royals’ inside-out game was strong, by half Douglas was up just eight points and the Falcons had an opportunity to stay in the game. Fortunately for Douglas, the second half looked very similar. The Royals maintained their lead but slowly snuck away on the scoreboard. Douglas won the rebounding battle and shot an exceptional go.g per cent from the free-throw line while limiting their turnovers to just ui for the game. The hard work would pay off with a 64-45 win. Strong contributors included Shanice Fuoco-Guy with 10 points and nine rebounds, Chloe Kennedy with 10 points, Nanaya Miki with 11 points, and many of their teammates By Cheryl Minns trailing closely behind with eight and six points. “I thought we held a solid lead the entire game, which is much better than we've done against them in the past. We were determined to make a provincial berth, especially knowing we were hosting, and that is exactly what we did,” said Amber Beasley. Douglas will be hosting provincials and their first match up will be February 27 against Capilano University. theotherpress.ca By 2014 PACWEST Provincial Volleyball ChampionshipsAwww.pacwestbc.ca Bound for Provincials » Men’s basketball maintains tie for fifth place after loss to Langara Courtnie Martin Sports Reporter WwW the men’s basketball team having already secured a position in the playoffs, February 21's game against Langara was not an important game, but no team likes to take a night off. Playing the first- place, 20-1 Falcons, the Royals knew they were in for a tough night. In the first quarter, Douglas did a decent job of tightening up their defence, but the Falcons had too much momentum coming into the game to be stopped. At the end of the half, however, Douglas was only down six and seemingly had a chance to take home the unexpected “Ww” “We did a really good job of keeping the game close in the first half. I don’t know what changed for us mentally, but the second half was very different. It was a good learning curve for us as we prepare for provincials,” said Ethan McKean. McKean’s was correct in his description of the game, as the Royals broke down defensively and weren't as successful on offence in the second half. By the end of the 40 minutes, Douglas had been defeated 102-59, placing Douglas in the last seat for provincials. “I think once they started to gain a large lead we lost our composure. They had a great deal of size on us but we were competing at first. We have to learn to fight through adversity and | think we will be in a good place going into Provincials,” said Grant Campbell. The Royals’ Provincials run starts on February 27 against the Quest Kermodes.