Planning mode is fully engaged for members of Merritt Secondary School’s Tournament Committee, a group of teachers and faculty members tasked with organizing the largest scale volleyball tournament in the school’s history. Along with a liaison from BC School Sports, the committee is organizing the AA Sr. Girls Volleyball Provincial Championships, a provincial competition that will see hundreds of visiting players and students visit the Nicola Valley.
The last time MSS hosted a provincial tournament was in the 80s, when an eight team provincial basketball tournament was hosted at the school. This December’s volleyball provincial will expand past the high school’s campus, with games being played at the school’s gym, the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT), and the former Coquihalla Middle School.
“I think for me, it’s very exciting because we were up against bigger communities who have bigger facilities to produce this event,” said Gian Cavaliere, vice-principal and director of athletics at MSS.
“We’re grateful that BC School Sports has a lot of trust and faith in small communities, and that they can also produce the same amount of fun, atmosphere, and excitement.”
The tournament will consist of 16 high school teams, spanning across the nine high school sporting zones in B.C. The teams will be divided into four pools, where a round robin process will then take place. The Panthers are members of the Okanagan-Thompson Zone, where there are nine AA schools competing. Being the host team, MSS will be given an automatic berth.
Merritt Secondary is no stranger to hosting volleyball tournaments, having hosted the nine-team Okanagan and Fraser Valley Sr. Girls tournament in September of 2021. The Jr. Girls tournament took place just a month later. Cavaliere said these tournaments, along with the provincial championships in
December, are part of a larger plan to increase Merritt’s status as a sporting destination.
“I’ve always wanted to make Merritt a destination for sports,” added Cavaliere.
“We’ve done a great job in running adult tournaments but I really want to produce a community where students want to come and play.”
The tournament will take place from December 1 to 3, 2022 at a number of locations in the community. A banquet, scavenger hunt, and other local and cultural activities are being planned for student athletes playing in the tournament. Cavaliere says the tournament will be one to remember.
