For the second time in three years, the Seaquam Seahawks are champions at the Peace Arch News Classic.
The Delta-based Seahawks clawed the senior girls volleyball title away from the G.P. Vanier Towhees Saturday at Semiahmoo Secondary, winning the South Surrey tournament – which was in it 24th year – in two straight games (25-17, 25-18).
Seaquam – which won the 2011 tournament over Surrey Christian – been in three consecutive PAN Classic finals, having lost last year title tilt to Elphinstone Secondary.
The Seahawks return to the top was a relatively easy ascent, as the highly ranked AAA team – they were ranked No. 2 at the end of October – rolled through the round-robin portion of the tournament undefeated, with their biggest test coming against Parksville’s Ballenas Secondary, who took the Seahawks to a third game before Seaquam prevailed.
Seaquam then knocked off the Elgin Park Orcas in semifinals Saturday to advance to the final game against the Towhees.
Elgin Park – who won a PAN Classic title back in 2005 – finished in the third spot this year, defeating Ballenas (25-19, 25-19) in the third-place game.
Other local teams in the 28-team field included Earl Marriott Secondary’s junior girls team, which placed seventh; White Rock Christian Academy and Clayton Heights, who tied for 11th; Semiahmoo Totems’ junior team, 26th; and Semiahmoo, 27th.
Seaquam’s Amy Davidson was named the tournament’s most valuable player, while the tourney all-stars were Elgin Park’s Darby Dunn and Sally Mathews, Ballenas Secondary’s Kayla Parhar, Seaquam’s Leah Martin and two Vanier players – Karly Gunther and Meg Ireland.