VSS hosting volleyball match between UBCO and TRU

Sep 7, 2023 | 5:10 PM

College volleyball players will meet in Vernon for an exhibition match.

The Vernon Secondary School Junior Girls’ volleyball team will host the University of British Columbia Okanagan and Thompson River University men’s volleyball squads for a game on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

The preseason exhibition match will begin with warmup at 6:30 p.m. and the game at 7 p.m.

Mike Bertram, coach of the VSS Panthers Junior Girls team, told Vernon Matters the A Teams will be playing at VSS, and the rookie quads will hit the court for a preseason exhibition at Kalamalka Secondary. Warmup for the rookie game will go at 6 p.m. and the game will go at 6:30 Sept. 20.

Bertram told Vernon Matters he hopes the exhibition games will mark the start of an annual tradition.

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“Vernon is a big volleyball community and it would be nice to have them be able to see this high level volleyball every year,” Bertram told Vernon Matters, adding it would likely be UBCO and TRU meeting again in future games.

“We’re hoping it would be the same teams because the coaches know each other quite well, they’re good friends, so they set these exhibition games up kind of halfway between their two schools to keep their travel costs down. So it makes more sense than to have [University of Alberta] or something visit.”

Both UBCO and TRU’s volleyball programs have featured some Vernon talent.

“Landon Currie, a Fulton grad, started his university playing at TRU, he now represents Canada on the world stage,” Bertram said in a release to Vernon Matters.

“Levi Vanderveen, Vernon Christian School grad, is in his fourth year at UBCO; unfortunately, he is recovering from an injury and won’t be able to play. Rory O’Brien, Kalamalka Secondary and James Helfrick, Vernon Secondary, are both rookies on the UBCO squad and will see some game time.”

Bertram added he hopes volleyball enthusiasts will come out to watch the hard hitting action.

“We would love to fill the gym and let theses programs know how much Vernon loves their volleyball.”

Bertram said the VSS gymnasium can likely fit 1,000 people, but hopes to see somewhere between 400 and 500 people turn out to watch the game.

Tickets to the A Team game at VSS will be $2 each at the door, and the money raised from sales will go to help cover travel costs for the VSS Panthers.

“The Junior Girls Volleyball Team, we have two tournaments in Vancouver this year. We made provincials the last couple years in a row so there’s a good chance we’ll make provincials again, and that’s in Vancouver as well, so there’s just all those travel costs that go with that,” Bertram said.

Kal Secondary won’t be charging entry fees, but people attending the game there are asked to bring a food bank donation.

Each university will also be donating shirts and game passes for prizes.

by Liam Verster

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