SPOKANE, Wash. – It’s volleyball season this August as the Spike & Dig tournament begins on the west side of town, welcoming thousands of athletes at almost 100 courts.
The event takes months of planning and days of setup orchestrated by Brandon Schmidt, son of Hoopfest and Spike & Dig founder Jerry Schmidt.
Brandon and his cousin, former collegiate volleyball player Terry Veile, spoke to us about how this gargantuan event stays a family affair, even with over 400 teams packing into the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex.
“Sometimes you think all these people and don’t know what to expect, but every year, we come out surprised at how much fun everyone has and thankful that we have a community like this in Spokane,” Schmidt said.
“This is such a family environment that all these families come out, their kids are playing,” Veile said. “A lot of the old people, the generation of people that started this tournament, their kids, their grandkids are starting to play, so it’s just a huge family tournament.”
This 33rd edition of the event runs through tomorrow, where the field narrows down to determine champions across 15 adult divisions and five youth divisions.
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