Royals volleyball on hot streak entering holiday break

The Douglas Royals women's volleyball team have had a successful start to the season, accumulating an impressive 8-1 record over the 5 weeks that has placed them on top of the PACWEST conference with 16 points, maintaining a 6-point lead over second ranked team VIU.

The young and talented Royals squad have been nothing short of commanding on the court this year, currently riding a 5-game win streak and tallying up a total of 6 clean sweeps out of their 9 games played.

First-years Emily Lafleur (setter), Lauren Attieh (outside hitter), and second-year Grace McGillivray (opposite hitter) have all received PACWEST Player of the Week honours within the 5 weeks of season play.

Contributions have come from all positions of the court within the team, with 4 players making an appearance amongst every category on the PACWEST leaderboards. 

• Two Royals are currently in the top 5 for league leaders in kills, with rookie outside hitter Tahlia Attieh at 3^rd place averaging 3.08/set, and opposite hitter Grace McGillivray in 5^th with an average of 2.96/set.
• Second-year middle blocker Abbie Smith marks her presence at the net and on the backline, ranking first in the PACWEST conference in two categories; the first being in blocks by averaging 0.66/set, and also in aces with 0.76/set.
• First-year Lauren Attieh has been an impactful force for the Royals offense this season, making an appearance at 2^nd place in aces within the league by averaging 0.60/set, 3^rd in total offense at 3.68/set, and 4^th in digs managing a 2.44 average per set.

Heading into the holiday break, the Royals look to rejuvenate and come back stronger in their quest for a playoff berth. Their first game back sees them visiting the CBC Bearcats on January 21^st at 6pm to continue their undefeated record on the road.

The Royals men have also had a positive start to their season, tallying a 7-2 record over the past month that has placed them at first place in the PACWEST conference just before the semester break. With 14 points, they remain 6 points ahead of second place team Capilano who have 8.

Riding a 4 game win streak, the squad has a lot to look forward to when they return for play in January. The Royals have showed up with immense fight on the court this season, battling for pivotal points during tight matches.

At the moment, three players make an appearance amongst the PACWEST leaderboards in all 5 categories.

• Veteran middle blocker Greg Moore has been a solid presence at the net, currently ranked first in the league in blocks averaging 0.82/set after accumulating 31 out of 38 sets played.
• 4^th-year libero Nick Hansen has played true to his role as a defensive specialist, sitting at 5^th in the league in digs with 1.66/set.
• Second-year outside hitter Matt Shand has been an offensive powerhouse for the Royals this season, ranking on top of the PACWEST conference in not one but three different categories by averaging 3.83/set in kills, 0.69/set in aces, and a noteworthy 4.8 average per set in total offense. Shand also received a PACWEST Player of the Week nomination just before the break.

The next game back sees this exciting Royals team visiting the CBC Bearcats on January 21^st at 8pm to extend their undefeated record on the road as they eye a berth to the 2021-22 PACWEST Championships in late February.