It was another great weekend of volleyball action — on and off the court — as the Merritt Volleyball Association hosted its 23rd annual mixed Volleyfest on March 13 to 15.

A total of 30 teams from as far away as Prince George and Vancouver took part in this year’s event, which was held at the Merritt Secondary, Coquihalla Middle and Collettville Elementary School gymnasiums.

Teams were divided into three divisions: Competitive 1, Competitive 2 and Recreational based on their level of ability. At all times, teams had to play with a minimum of two females on the court.

The Force It team from Kamloops emerged victorious in the elite Comp 1A division, while a pair of Vancouver squads — Old and Honey Badgers — took home top honours in the Comp 1B and 2A categories respectively.

The oddly-named Team Merritt from Kelowna placed first in the Comp 2B division, and Merritt’s X-rated Unprotected Sets nabbed the Recreational title.

If an award was to be given out to the most enthusiastic team during play, it would have to go to Merritt’s own Bollywood. The exuberant bunch made it all the way to the Rec semi-finals before bowing out.

There was plenty of ebullience at the Volleyfest ‘après-spike’, held Saturday night at the Civic Centre. With a theme of Celebrity Look-A-Like, top prize went to Al Pacino, followed closely by Men in Black, Kate Middleton, Pretty Woman, Katy Perry, Backwards Man and Charlie Sheen.

As has been a tradition for years, a large part of the proceeds from Volleyfest goes to charity. This year, the Make-A-Wish foundation will be the beneficiary.

Still to come is the annual ladies Volleyfest, scheduled for April 10 to 12. A record 13 Comp 1 teams have already registered for this event, which also includes Comp 2 and Recreational divisions.