NOW on its eighth year, the Smart Spike Volleyball Tournament, co-presented by Meralco, is set for the first serve of its latest edition on Saturday at Claret Gym in Quezon City.
From its humble beginnings in 2017 as a grassroots event with just eight teams, the tournament has grown into a platform for young volleyball talents featuring 40 school-based squads across eight divisions this year.
SMART Spike tournament director Revie Pioquinto expressed her delight at the competition’s continuous growth over the years.
"It's heartwarming to see how far SMART Spike has come. What started as a small initiative has now turned into a tournament that brings together so many talented young athletes," Pioquinto said.
"This tournament is not just about preparing schools for their respective competitions, it also serves as a platform for players to be discovered."
The 18-and-under Girls' Prime Category will feature teams such as NU-Nazareth School, Ateneo, Chiang Kai Shek, Canossa Academy Lipa, San Felipe Neri Catholic School, De La Salle Medical & Health Sciences Institute, Gracel Christian College Foundation, Immaculada Concepcion College, and Holy Trinity Academy.
Meanwhile, the 18-and-under Girls' Homegrown Category will include De La Salle Zobel, Immaculate Conception Academy-Greenhills, Assumption Antipolo, Marist School, Assumption College, Saint Pedro Poveda College, Domuschola International School, International Christian Academy, Colegio De Los Baños, Faith Academy, Makati Hope Christian School, St. Scholastica's Academy Marikina, San Gabriel Elementary School, and Army's Angels Integrated School.
For the 14-and-under girls’ division, the competing teams are DLSZ, Immaculate Conception Academy, Assumption Antipolo, Assumption College, Canossa Academy Lipa, Makati Hope Christian School, St. Paul College of Pasig, San Felipe Neri Catholic School, The Cardinal Academy, Jubilee Christian Academy, St. Scholastica's Academy Marikina, and La Salle Lipa.
The 18-and-under boys’ division will witness action from Ateneo, Marist School, Chiang Kai Shek, Canossa Academy Lipa, Colegio De Los Baños, San Felipe Neri Catholic School, Mystical Rose School of Caloocan, Immaculada Concepcion College, and Sto. Niño Catholic School.
SMART Spike format
All divisions will follow a single round-robin format with the rest of the games being played at Meralco Gym.
In the Prime Category and Boys’ Division, the top four teams will move on to the semifinals.
For the Homegrown Category and 14-and-under divisions, teams will be split into two pools, with the top two squads from each pool advancing to the crossover semifinals.
The winners of the semifinals will battle for the championship in a winner-take-all final, while the losing teams will vie for third place.
The tournament is expected to run until May 25.
All games in the tournament, which is also supported by Spalding, Buffalo’s Wings N' Things, Gameville, Mizuno SportySole, Uno Fuel, and Patch Holic, will air live on Smart Sports' Facebook page and on PusoP.com.
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