Union hosts academy tournament

Hearts on fire and strong desire descended down on Union College as schools battled it out against each other. During the third week of October, highschoolers arrived in bulk for volleyball and soccer tournaments. For many students on campus, this is nothing new. Union has been known to host many tournaments in the past. However, this is the biggest tournament that took place at Union since the pandemic. 

Schools from all sides of the United States came together at Union in order to show off their skills and performance. From north to south, east to west, no one was left out. The majority of schools arrived at Union on Wednesday. The academies that participated included College View, Collegedale, Forest Lake, Hinsdale, North Dallas, Midland, Mile High, North Tampa, Madison, Campion, Georgia-Cumberland, Dakota, Gem State, Maplewood, Sunnydale, Ozark and Andrews.

Rounds began on Thursday, Oct. 20 starting at 9 a.m. and running until 7:30 in the evening. This schedule applied to both volleyball and soccer games. On Friday, Oct. 21, rounds started at 9 a.m. and ended at 3:15 in the afternoon and other non-tournament events took place in the evening. The lineups for Friday were College View vs. Forest Lake, Collegedale vs. Hillsdale, North Dallas vs. Midland, and last Mile High vs. North Tampa. After the conclusion of Sabbath, the games continued at 7 p.m. and ended at 10:15 p.m.. Ultimately, the tournament concluded on Sunday, Oct.r 23. 

Following the conclusion of the tournament, on Sunday, the winners of the 2022 Fall Tournament for both volleyball and soccer were given. The winner for the women’s volleyball brackets were Forest Lake and Hinsdale, while the men’s soccer brackets were Sunnydale and Maplewood. 

Participating schools fall under two separate divisions. These divisions are  Thunderdome and Clocktower. Under these divisions, the time and system for each round are set, as well as the determining factor for who goes up against who. Scoring will be left to the judges while line judging will be left to the discretion of the schools. These line judges are picked ahead of time in order to ensure fairness during the tournament. Aside from competition, tournaments also bring in a great number of people to campus. Both participating students as well as parents were present on campus.

By: Robert Tengker