Royals Roundup

Kelowna prospects join women’s volleyball team

By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

The women’s volleyball team have recruited Kelsi Taron and Taylor Gammel from Kelowna to join their program for the following volleyball season. The impressive Taron played in the BC summer games in 2010, competed for Team BC at the Western Elite Championships, and is a graduate of Kelowna Christian School. Gammel graduated from Mount Boucherie Secondary School this June and won bronze at Nationals last year with an elite Kelowna volleyball squad.

Royals’ head coach Kyra Iannone had a few words to say about her latest additions: “[Taron] is a very dynamic and exciting athlete to have on the team. She is an elite setter, leader, and proven champion. Most importantly, we are changing the culture of Douglas women’s volleyball, and [Taron] will help with that change.

“[Gammel] is a huge recruit for us and I expect some pretty spectacular things from this lady,” says Iannone. “She has so much physicality that both [Royals strength and conditioning coach] Jake Elder and myself can work with. She has the potential to dominate this league with her abilities.”

The two freshmen will be looked at to help out a Royals team that lost in the quarter-finals of the playoffs last season and finished sixth in the PacWest standings with a 6–18 record and 12 points in 24 games.