The Hemet girls volleyball team will look to capture its third straight championship when the program hosts the 20th annual Dan Quam Memorial Tournament today. Pool play matches begin at 8 a.m., and the championship is scheduled for 1 p.m. All rounds of play during the tournament will feature a best two-out-of-three format. Hemet returns three starters from a squad that reached the CIF-Southern Section Division 4AA championship game last season. Senior outside hitter Mallory Marcus leads the Bulldogs with 24 kills in three matches, while sophomore outside hitter Grace Johnson and junior opposite Jillian Nickens have 21 and 19 kills, respectively. Temecula Valley and Palm Desert Xavier Prep are the teams most likely to challenge Hemet for the championship. Temecula Valley is led by senior setter Caley Yoder and sophomore outside hitter Kali Greathead, who is averaging 4.3 kills per set. Xavier Prep, which finished second to Hemet at last year’s tournament, is led by Alix Dreier, a 6-foot-3 junior outside hitter who has 31 kills through two matches. Other teams participating are Lake Elsinore Temescal Canyon, Riverside La Sierra, Twentynine Palms, Riverside North, San Jacinto and Desert Hot Springs. The tournament was renamed in memory of Quam, a longtime volleyball coach and English teacher at Hemet. The beloved Quam died of a heart attack Dec. 23, 2006 at the age of 43.
Hemet girls eye 3rd straight title
The Hemet girls volleyball team will look to capture its third straight championship when the program hosts the 20th annual Dan Quam Memorial Tournament today. Pool play matches begin at 8 a.m., and the championship is scheduled for 1 p.m. All rounds of play during the tournament will feature a best two-out-of-three format. Hemet returns three starters from a squad that reached the CIF-Southern Section Division 4AA championship game last season. Senior outside hitter Mallory Marcus leads the Bulldogs with 24 kills in three matches, while sophomore outside hitter Grace Johnson and junior opposite Jillian Nickens have 21 and 19 kills, respectively. Temecula Valley and Palm Desert Xavier Prep are the teams most likely to challenge Hemet for the championship. Temecula Valley is led by senior setter Caley Yoder and sophomore outside hitter Kali Greathead, who is averaging 4.3 kills per set. Xavier Prep, which finished second to Hemet at last year’s tournament, is led by Alix Dreier, a 6-foot-3 junior outside hitter who has 31 kills through two matches. Other teams participating are Lake Elsinore Temescal Canyon, Riverside La Sierra, Twentynine Palms, Riverside North, San Jacinto and Desert Hot Springs. The tournament was renamed in memory of Quam, a longtime volleyball coach and English teacher at Hemet. The beloved Quam died of a heart attack Dec. 23, 2006 at the age of 43.