With B.C. high school volleyball playoffs just a few weeks away, some of the province’s top teams will get the opportunity to size each other up one last time, when the annual Peace Arch News Classic tournament hits South Surrey courts next week.
The 20-team girls tournament will be held Nov. 3-4, at both Semiahmoo and Elgin Park secondaries, and will feature a handful of teams that, by mid-to-late November, could very well be in contention for a provincial title.
“It’s going to be some really good, quality volleyball,” said longtime tournament director Gord Houchen, who in addition to organizational duties will also coach Semiahmoo’s junior girls squad at the two-day tourney.
“Some of the stronger teams in the province will be here – Seaquam, Moscrop, McRoberts, Fraser Heights… it should be good. One coach used to always say to me that this tournament was one of the last opportunities for him to tell where his team stood before playoffs started.”
Eighteen senior teams will take part – including two from the Okanagan, Vernon’s W.L. Seaton and Penticton Secondary – while Houchen’s junior Totems will be joined by fellow under-agers in Earl Marriott’s junior team to round out the draw.
One team that will be noticeably absent from this year’s bracket, however, is last year’s second-place finisher and one of the tournament hosts, Semiahmoo’s senior girls team. Houchen explained that, this year, the team was accidently doubled-booked, and will instead be playing in a tournament in Coquitlam.
Last October, the senior Totems advanced to the championship game, but lost to Seaquam 2-0 (25-12, 25-18). Vancouver’s Magee Secondary finished third, beating Sardis in the bronze-medal game. Seaquam’s Amanda Tabe was named MVP of the tournament.
The PAN Classic has been staged in South Surrey since the late 1980s, and local teams have had plenty of recent success. In addition to the first-and-second place finishes from Delta’s Seaquam and Semiahmoo last year, the Elgin Park Orcas won gold in 2014, and in 2015, the Holy Cross Crusaders took top spot after an upset victory over Cloverdale’s Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers, who were one of the province’s top-ranked 4A senior girls teams at the time.
Seaquam also won the tournament in 2011, beating Surrey Christian in the final.
The tournament begins Friday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m., with games scheduled for both Semiahmoo and Elgin Park. The opening games at Semiahmoo will include the defending champion Seaquam Seahawks taking on Fraser Heights, White Rock Christian Academy playing Semiahmoo, and Earl Marriott’s junior team facing off against West Vancouver. At the same time at Elgin, the host Orcas will play Fleetwood Park.
The playoff rounds are set for Saturday, with the championship game planned for 6 p.m. at Semiahmoo.