There weren’t any trophies given out at the end of the day – no ranking points, no wins or losses. There weren’t even any referees to be found. Yet, at the fourth annual Friendship Volleyball Tournament held at King’s High School on June 14, teams from across the state competed for school pride, while still remembering to have fun.
The 14 high schools invited to the tournament were: Arlington, Bellevue Christian, Cedarcrest, King’s, Lynnwood, Shoreline Christian, Edmonds Woodway, Kennedy, Archbishop Murphy, Meadowdale, Mountlake Terrace, Mount Baker, and Mariner.
Many of the teams were from schools of all different sizes and skill level- teams that wouldn’t normally play each other in the regular season. Steve Bain, head coach for the King’s High School Lady Knights, said for many coaches this tournament was a way for them to evaluate their players and see how they matched up against teams in other divisions.
“It gives kids a chance to play at a higher level,” said Bain.
King’s High School competes in the 1A level and has about 430 students enrolled, while Edmonds-Woodway is a 4A school and Meadowdale is a 3A school.
In the spirit of friendly competition, coaches refereed each other’s games and players rotated as line judges. Whenever there seemed to be a questionable call, coaches and players would simply shrug it off and just keep playing.
In between matches, players of opposing teams walked together, warmed up together, and even shared lunches together as hot dogs and hamburgers were grilled by parents and staff just outside the gym.
But the friendly atmosphere didn’t lessen the competition. Players were scrambling and flopping every which way for loose balls, roaring commands at each other, and slapping their teammates’ hands with exuberant cheers after every won point.
In one of the morning matches, despite being behind early, the Archbishop Murphy Wildcats fought their way back in what seemed to be a stunning upset against the favored Kennedy High School Lancers. However, the Lancers managed to fend off the Wildcats in what turned out to be a preview of the final match-up of the day.
Kennedy High School went on to defeat Archbishop Murphy in the afternoon for its third tournament win in four years. Instead of trophies, the winners were given T-shirts that said “Queen of the courts.”
Slightly disappointed but with a smile on his face, Wildcats head coach Jim Hardy said after the morning match, “We wanted to beat Kennedy.”
Hardy went on to say that despite the friendly atmosphere, he was pleased with how his players were engaged on every play, and that this type of tournament allowed him to experiment with different lineups going into next season. Unlike other tournaments, which usually involve tears and heart-breaking defeats, players and coaches gathered together afterwards with smiles while enjoying burgers and hotdogs.
Certainly a friendly way to kick off the summer schedule.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
