The Selkirk Royals 16U Boys Volleyball Club accomplished what it set out to do this season.
Ahead of the campaign, players and coaches were on the same page about finishing in the top five at tournaments and later finding success at nationals.
After recording two first-place finishes and two second-place finishes in tournament play, the Royals capped their season on May 31 by defeating Fraser Valley Volleyball Club Eric 25-17, 25-27, 15-13 to win the 2026 Volleyball Canada 16U Nationals Tier 8 championship.
“We have really strong captains on our team that really kept the guys laser focused, and reminded them that the big points come from little victories,” said coach Jamie Evans. “Whether you’re down by 10 or you’re up by 10, it really is about one point at a time and digging in when it matters, so a super shoutout to our captains for really just keeping the boys on track and on point there.”
All 13 Royals players saw court time in the championship match, something that is often not the case in a game of that magnitude.
Evans said her favourite part of nationals was being able to win as a group effort.
“That last gold medal game was really a full team contribution to the gold,” said Evans. “It was really wonderful, and such a proud moment for families, for the kids, for all of us coaches, just really getting a chance to see them achieve together with everybody having that court time for the full set.”
Nationals took place at the BMO Centre in Calgary, where the Royals were one of 125 teams competing during the three-day tournament, which ran from May 29 to 31.
The roster consisted of eight current Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School students and five others from communities around the Interlake.
The Royals entered the tournament fresh off a fifth-to-eighth-place finish at Volleyball Manitoba provincials, where they had hoped to place even higher.
When they arrived at nationals, the team unlocked a new level of play that made it an unstoppable force.
“Our defence definitely was our focus for the whole season on improving, and you could really see that come together,” said Evans. “Whether it was the blocking or the coverage, just really being scrappy and staying in the play was fantastic. We also had two of our left-side hitters who just really came to the peak of their career this season at nationals. Those left-side hitters really got the job done for us. Those two boys just killed every ball that they were handed.”
