One of the longest-running senior volleyball tournaments in the province hits the courts this weekend.
And it's got a great name.
The Peace Arch News Classic, a senior girls volleyball competition that has been happening each year (COVID-19 pandemic aside) since the late 1990s, starts Friday (Oct. 25) at 2 p.m., when AAAA host team Earl Marriott Mariners – currently ranked No. 1 in the province – defend their title against crosstown rivals Elgin Park Orcas at EMS.
Also at Earl Marriott at 2 p.m., the other senior Mariners team will take on Burnaby Central.
Meanwhile at Semiahmoo Secondary – as the tournament is hosted by both schools – the Semiahmoo Thunderbirds will battle White Rock Christian Warriors, while North Delta's Seaquam Seahawks will take on Cloverdale's Salish Secondary and South Surrey's Grandview Heights Grizzlies will take on the North Surrey Spartans.
The tournament happens at both schools through Saturday, Oct. 26, and features 20 teams from across Surrey and the Lower Mainland, including Vancouver's Argyle, Richmond's McMath and Langley's Walnut Grove secondaries among those vying for the championship title.
With eight Premier League teams participating in the tournament this year, hosts Mariners and Thunderbirds will have their work cut out for them to bring the tournament home again, Semiahmoo teacher Gord Houchen noted in an email.
Gold and bronze medal matches will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Earl Marriott on Saturday (Oct. 26), while the fifth- and seventh-place matches will be played at 5:30 p.m. at Semiahmoo Secondary, with the awards presentation set for 7 p.m. Saturday.
