Royals capture PACWEST title after dominant game against Mariners

Entering the provincial championships as the second seed after such an impressive season, the Douglas Royals women's volleyball team already had their eyes set for gold.

Their 13-2 record solidified the team as strong contenders to claim the PACWEST title. After a dominant 3-0 clean sweep against the Camosun Chargers in Friday afternoon's semi-final, the Royals brought the same intense and solid game Saturday night as they bested the VIU Mariners 3-1 (25-12, 26-24, 19-25, 25-14) in the gold medal match and crowned themselves as conference champions.

After a game full of long, extraordinary rallies between both teams, it was only fitting that the match point came from one that was nail-biting. As the Royals faced serve receive up 24-14 in the fourth set, a crucial dig on the block cover by #15 Grace McGillivray would pass the ball up to #9 Olivia Cesaretti for a great out-of-system set towards the PACWEST Player of the Match, outside hitter #4 Ava Bosa for the gold medal-winning kill right through the Mariners block. Although the game was played in Abbotsford, it felt right at home for Douglas as the full crowd of supporters in the bleachers erupted into a deafening frenzy after the point.

The Royals' victory looked to be imminent throughout most of the game as they stormed the court in the first set to win with a lengthy margin of 25-12. The second set saw the women delivering the same offensive force, battling for some tight late-set points as the Mariners crept a bit closer. Douglas dug deep and eventually took the set 26-24 to obtain an integral 2-0 lead. The third set started off strong for the Royals but saw them slowing down in the latter half as the Mariners battled back and won it 25-19 to keep themselves alive in the match.

However, the Royals did not falter. The team came into the fourth set as dominant as ever, with 5^th year setter #13 Jane Kepler continuing to run a diverse offense that had attackers from all positions capitalizing to quickly run up the scoreboard, resulting in the impressive 24-14 finish.

Every player on the court gave a stellar performance in what was a strong and relentless team effort to secure the PACWEST title. Outside hitter and PACWEST Rookie of the Year Lauren Attieh finished the night with a match-high of 13 kills with #4 Ava Bosa right behind her at 12, and opposite hitter #15 Grace McGillivray amassing 10. Huge defensive net presences came from both middle blockers #11 Abbie Smith and #9 Olivia Cesaretti to shut down the Mariners offense in crucial moments, while libero #14 Logan Richter came up big to counter the Mariners by making huge digs to keep the ball alive and in-system.

After the match, rookies #4 Ava Bosa and #8 Lauren Attieh were named to the Tournament All-Star team, while senior #13 Jane Kepler was given the title of Tournament MVP.

 The 4-set win gives the Royals their first conference championship since 2017-18. They will enter the 2022 CCAA National Championships hosted by Holland College in Charlottetown, PEI on March 24-27 as PACWEST Champions as the women set their eyes on adding a nationals medal to their resume.