ABOUT 1,200 PLAYERS EXPECTED FOR VOLLEYBALL DURING WEEKEND

Cape Girardeau this weekend will host the U.S. Volleyball Association Gateway Sub-Regional Girls Tournament.

The tournament, which will be played Saturday and Sunday at virtually every available gymnasium in Cape Girardeau, will include 103 teams from Tennessee, Arkansas, central and Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois.

The event is co-sponsored by Southeast Missouri State University and the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department.

Penny Wingerter, recreation coordinator for the department, said teams will compete in four age groups: 18 and under, 16 and under, 14 and under, and 12 and under.

A total of about 1,200 players will compete in the tournament, Wingerter said.

"We've got almost all of the motel rooms in Cape and the area around booked up," she added. "It's a big tournament for Cape Girardeau to host."

Play will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at about 7 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. At 7 p.m. Saturday, a BB-level volleyball team will play an exhibition match at the student recreation center at Southeast Missouri State University.