Royals Will Play For Gold
The Douglas Royals beat the Capilano Blues and will now play for PACWEST gold
Story courtesy of Dan Kinvig
After an opening-set stumble, the Douglas Royals showed why they’re the top seed on the women’s side at the PACWEST volleyball championships, roaring back for a four-set semifinal victory over the Capilano Blues on Friday.
The Royals looked mortal in the first set as the Blues prevailed 25-18, but were dominant thereafter, winning by scores of 25-13, 25-14 and 25-18.
The win not only assures Douglas a spot in the PACWEST title game, where they’ll face the No. 2-seeded VIU Mariners (Saturday, 6 p.m., Envision Financial Athletic Centre), it also punches their ticket to the CCAA national championships, which will be contested March 7-10 at Grande Prairie (Alta.) Regional College.
The No. 4 Blues will face the host and No. 3 seed UFV Cascades in the women’s bronze medal match at 1 p.m. Saturday.
PACWEST player of the year Vania Oliveira led the Royals’ rally, racking up a game-high 21 kills. She was named Douglas’s player of the match.
Vicki Schley and Olivia Cesaretti chipped in with eight kills apiece for the Royals, and Claudia Corneil and Caet McCorkell tied for team-high honours with 16 digs apiece. Setter Jane Kepler ran a balanced attack, and notched 42 assists.
For the second straight night, Isabella Lima was the Blues’ player of the match. She registered nine kills, 15 digs, two aces and a block. Libero Tracy Ewashkiw had a team-high 19 digs, and middle Meghan Koven put away seven kills.