Cape serves up area's biggest volleyball tourney

Southeast Missouri's biggest regular-season high school volleyball tournament -- by far -- is ready for its 14th edition.

The annual SEMO Specialties & Sports High School Volleyball Classic will be played Friday and Saturday at two venues on the Southeast Missouri State University campus and at Notre Dame High School.

For the second year in a row, the tourney will feature 35 teams, which is the most in the event's history. And Show Me Center director David Ross, who serves as tournament director, said the goal is to have 40 teams in Cape Girardeau when the tourney celebrates its 15-year anniversary in 2002.

"We'll get to 40 teams for sure next year, which will make our brackets work smoother," said Ross. "It's always an excellent tournament and it's a good thing for everybody. It's a quality resource for the university and every team gets to play from four to seven games early in the season, which is good for them."

Many of the teams in Southeast Missouri, along with several squads from St. Louis and outstate Missouri, will be entered.

The 35 squads are divided into seven pools of five teams each, with round-robin pool play set for Friday and early Saturday. From there, most of the teams will advance to single-elimination tournament play.

For the single-elimination competition, the top two finishers in each pool will be placed in the gold (championship) playoff bracket while the teams that finish third and fourth in each pool will be placed in the silver (consolation) playoff bracket.

Farmington is the two-time defending tournament champion, having defeated Meadow Heights in last year's title match. Farmington has won three titles overall.

Perennial state powerhouse Bernie has captured five of the 13 championships, winning four straight from 1993-96 and also prevailing in 1998.

Bloomfield has claimed two titles, with St. Vincent, Lesterville and Park Hills owning the other crowns.

Admission prices are $5 per session or $12 for a weekend pass. Ages 18 and under are $2 per session or $5 for a weekend pass. Children under 2 will be admitted free.