the other press

Sports

Section Editor: Jordan Cripps

January 22, 2003

 

   
  
   
  
 
 
  
 
  
   
  
  
  
 
 
  
  
   
  
  
 
  
   
   
 
  
  
 
   
 
  
 
 
  
   
 
   
    
    
   
 
 
 

n Saturday, the S5th-place Douglas
oyals took on the 8th-place COTR
valanche, hoping to move into the play-
ff picture. They came into the match
ith some momentum, having defeated
UC the previous night.

From the very first serve, it was clear
hat the Royals were determined to move
p in the standings. They recorded six of
e match’s first seven points, led by the
trong play of Lana Henley, who recorded
o early points for Douglas. The
valanche tried to make a comeback,
coring the next four points. The first
me was actually quite close, as COTR
idn't let the Royals get too far ahead,
Ithough Douglas only trailed once, with
he score 13-12. The Royals success in the
irst game was very much a team effort as
ey received strong contributions from a
umber of players. Douglas captured the
irst game 25-22 off a point by Henley.
er keeping the score close in the first
ame, the Avalanche began the second
ame quite strongly, taking an early 2-1
ead. From there, though, the Royals took
ver, again led by solid play from Henley
nd Colleen Ma. They erased COTR’s

n the heels of their victory against the
kanagan Lakers, the Royals had to feel
onfident going into their match against
e COTR Avalanche even though they
ere certainly the underdogs. COTR
lame into the game as the 3rd-place team
the BCCAA while the Royals were
eded 8th.

In the early part of the first game, it
oked as though the Avalanche would
ve up to their ranking, taking an early 4-
lead. The Royals cut into the lead but
uldn’t get one of their own until the
Sth point of the game, when they took
8-7 lead. Even in this early part of the
ame, it was clear that there wasn’t much
choose between the two teams as nei-
er was able to really take control. It also
ecame apparent that the Royals and
valanche didn’t want to make a mistake
at would cost them a game. Helped by
rong defensive efforts from Ryan Steele
d Matthew Klassen as well as offensive
ntributions from Darryl Wind and Rob
cKenzie, the Royals were able to take a
2-17 lead. From there, though, the game
t really interesting. Neither team could

dcsportseditor@yahoo.ca

lead and held a 5-2 margin of their own,
capped off by a point from Ma. Douglas
College tried to build up a bigger lead but
could not take more than a three point
advantage. With the score knotted at 9-9,
the Royals seized control, marching out to
a 14-9 lead after the longest and most
exciting rally of the match was brought to
an end by Henley. From there, the Royals
coasted through the rest of the second
game, leaving the bewildered Avalanche
to regroup for the third game. Wanda
Jemmott and Sandra-Joy Unaegbu made
their presence felt in this game, recording
a number of points to help Douglas take a
2-0 lead in the match. Douglas easily took
the game 25-13.

In the third game of the match, the
Royals quickly answered the question of
whether COTR would be able to come
back. In the early stages, it seemed as
though the Avalanche might be able to
extend the game to a fourth set as they
took a 7-4 lead. The Royals wouldn't be
denied, though, as they fought back to
take an 11-9 lead after a good rally.
Douglas nearly gave up a point that
would even the score, but was finished by

take the two-point margin necessary to
take the 1-0 lead. The score kept climbing
and climbing and it seemed that both
teams were going to be unable to find a
way to take the game. Finally, after a
number of extra points, the Avalanche
were able to muster a two-point streak
and bring the seemingly endlee game to a
close, 34-32.

Although both teams must have been
physically and mentally exhausted after
the marathon first game, there were still
four more up for grabs. The next game
began much the same way as the first as
COTR took an early 2-1 lead. Helped by
the play of Mike Sunnus and Jeff Payne,
the Royals stormed back to take a lead
they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the
game. In this game, Payne really asserted
himself, recording a number of big kills,
leading the Royals to a 2nd game victory,
25-22.

As the third game got started, it seemed
as though the Avalanche might have been
a bit embarrassed after the second game as
they took an early 4-2 lead. It felt as
though they didn’t want to give the Royals

Anna Stec. With the score 13-9, the
COTR coach called a timeout to see if he
could inspire any late heroics from his
team. The strategy didn't work as the
Royals took a 19-12 lead following the
timeout. Then the Royals seemed to acti-
vate cruise control, as they went on to
take the game 25-18 and the match 3-0.

From the beginning, the match was
never really in doubt. COTR was unable
to take advantage of any opportunities
given them by the Royals, while Douglas
experienced no such problem, capitalizing
on Avalanche miscues and_ benefiting
from a number of points given to them by
COTR.

For her strong play and eight kills, Lana
Henley was named the Royals Player of
the Game.

The win improves the Royals record to
7-4, which could be good enough for 3rd
place in the league depending on weekend
results from the rest of the BCCAA. Their
next game is on January 24 against the
CNC Kodiaks in New Westminster.

another chance at victory, and wanted to
wipe out any momentum Douglas had
built. The third game was by far the most
decisive one of the match. Perhaps feeling
the effects of the first game, the Royals
werent able to overcome the early deficit
and never led, losing 19-25.

By the fourth game, both teams must
have been on the verge of collapse as the
game had long since passed the one-hour
mark with no end in sight. Once again,
COTR got off to an early start, taking a 3-
0 lead. They continued leading the match
until the Royals drew even, 6-6. Despite
the fatigue, this was one of the more excit-
ing games of the match as there were a
number of extended rallies. Once again,
Wind, Sunnus, Payne and Klassen came
up big for the Royals both offensively and
defensively. The fourth game showed
signs of going into extra points as well as
neither team was able to take much of a
lead. With the score 19-17, though,
Douglas College did manage a bit of a
run, taking a three point lead, 20-17.
Even though the Avalanche managed to
close the score to 21-20, the Royals

 

exploded for five straight points to win
the fourth game by a 25-20 margin and
set up an exciting fifth and deciding
game.

In the fifth set, both teams seemed a bit
tentative as neither wanted to give up the
point that might eventually lead the
opposition to victory. What this meant
was that neither team was able to take the
two-point lead that would mean victory.
Once again, the Royals and Avalanche
went into extra points. With the score 16-
16, Mike Sunnus and Darryl Wind took
over, leading the Royals to a 20-18 victo-
ry in the game and a 3-2 victory in the
match,

For his numerous kills and overall
strong play, the Douglas College Royals
Player of the Game was Jeff Payne.

The victory improves the Royals record
to 5-6, which would certainly move them
closer to that elusive playoff position. The
Royals play their next game on January 24
against the CNC Kodiaks.

 

 

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