The Douglas College Royals came away with a silver medal from the Canadian Colleges' Association men's volleyball championships.
Burnaby North grad Jeff Taylor, the Royals' outside hitter and All-Canadian was named a first team all-star following a 3-1 loss to Humber College in the championship final in Abbotsford in March.
Taylor, the provincial tournament MVP, had 17 kills, three blocks and two service aces for the Royals, while setter and player of the game, Rex Fenton, also contributed five kills and four digs. Fenton also garnered a second team all-star nod.
"The kids wanted to win, that was our goal. You can't invest that much in it and not have it hurt," said Douglas head coach Brad Hudson.
The Royals, runner-up in the regular season, upset PacWest league champion Vancouver Island University Mariners 3-1 in the provincial men's final at Douglas College in February.
Fouth-year outside hitter Sam Shaw had an MVP night, making 19 kills, two service aces and six digs to lead the Royals to a 25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 31-29 win over the Mariners.
Shaw scored the go-ahead kill that put Douglas up 30-29. He then served the winning point that was finished off by Taylor with a thundering 14th kill of the night.
"I'm overcome with emotion. I wanted to run around (and celebrate), but I just cried. It was kind of weird," said Taylor after the win.
Third-year transfer Fenton had 46 set assists and was one of three Royals named to the tournament all-star team. Shaw and Taylor were also named all-stars.
Douglas won its only medal in men's volleyball at the national collegiate level in 1997 when it took the bronze.
Three Douglas players garnered PacWest men's all-star recognition.
Taylor was named to the first all-star team, finishing in the top 10 in three separate categories, including third overall with 380 total kills. He also placed sixth with 27 aces and ninth with 55 blocked shots this season. Fenton was named to the PacWest second team, while freshman Graham Stoliker made it onto the all-rookie men's team.
Douglas coach Brad Hudson was also named PacWest coach of the year.
Second-year Douglas libero Jordan Or of Burnaby led all players this season with 315 overall digs, averaging a chart-topping 3.54 saves a set.
The Royals placed five players in the top 10 in service aces, including fifth-year setter Kaleb Dawe with a team-high 32 winners.
