For the very first time, Pacific Union College hosted a boys’ volleyball tournament featuring 10 academies from across the state. From March 6 to 7, this special event included Redlands Academy, San Gabriel Academy, Glendale Academy, Rio Lindo Academy, Mountain View Academy, Pine Hills Academy, Pleasant Hill Academy, Lodi Academy, Sacramento Academy, and PUC Preparatory.

The San Gabriel Eagles won first place, finishing 3-1, with the Pine Hills Eagles in second and the Redlands Academy Bulldogs in third.

While PUC hosts girls’ volleyball tournaments and other three to four-day sports tournaments, this tournament was only for two days to give the college organizers a sense of how successful it would be and whether it could be an annual event. The idea of bringing a boys’ volleyball tournament to PUC to reality was strongly advocated for this momentous tournament by PUC Youth, Associate Pastor Garrison Chaffee, and Pine Hills Academy Coach Justin Gatling.

They were a huge support to the tournament organizers, Andrianna Massena, executive assistant and enrollment counselor; Matt Lee, PUC Preparatory athletic director; Tony Nakashima, PUC athletic director; PUC Student and Intramurals Director Kaia Miller; and student workers from PUC’s athletics and enrollment departments. Outside of the competition, PUC Vice President for Student & Spiritual Life Aimee Leukert and PUC Campus Ministries hosted Vespers for the academy students to fellowship and meet other athletes.

Several coaches, parents, and players expressed their gratitude to PUC for making them feel supported and well taken care of during their visit, noting that all the hard work and dedication were noticed.

For the first boys’ volleyball tournament, the two-day event was a success. By creating a positive experience for students, coaches, and parents, it was especially great to give the volleyball players another opportunity to be in a space to compete, create and renew friendships, and also to give them a glimpse into a college experience at PUC.

Just like the other tournaments PUC hosts, Massena and her team aim to make students feel welcome and inspired to envision the campus as a place they could see themselves attending and spending their college years. “We want them to feel like they left with a connection here, whether that be to a person, the place itself, or something they encountered while they were here,” said Massena. “We want them to feel like they have a space here.”