Annual Bay View Classic tournament is Saturday through Monday in Roseville

One of the best-known and longest-running club volleyball tournaments on the West Coast returns this holiday weekend to the Roebbelen Center in Roseville. It is expected to attract more than 5,000 athletes and fans, while providing a huge revenue spike for Placer Valley. The Northern California Volleyball Association's 36th annual Bay View Classic starts at 8 a.m. Saturday and continues through Monday (Memorial Day) @the Grounds, 700 Event Center Drive in Roseville. The Bay View Classic is an "end-of-the-season, have fun kind of tournament" with first-rate competition for boys' and girls' teams between ages 11 and 18, including some teams that have received bids for the national championships, said Donna Donaghy, the Northern California Volleyball Association's CEO and commissioner. About 50 clubs, from Chandler, Arizona to Portland, Oregon, will compete in the three-day tournament. A handful of area clubs, including SynergyForce Volleyball in Rocklin and Aspire Volleyball in Folsom, will have teams in the tournament. Most clubs bring several teams, each with about 12 to 15 players. "It's a great tournament before nationals," said Daniele Desiderio, CEO and executive volleyball director of Academy of Volleyball in Redwood City. "It's good preparation for us." The Bay View Classic is a boom for businesses in Placer Valley. From the estimated 1,000 booked hotel rooms to meals at restaurants and shopping at stores, the tournament will generate about $1.3 million in revenue. "The Bay View Classic is a family-friendly event that greatly benefits area businesses and the community overall," said Kim Summers, Chief Executive Officer of Placer Valley Tourism and @the Grounds. "It's a dream event that checks so many boxes, from filling hotel rooms and restaurants to making the most of every foot of the Roebbelen Center." The Bay View Classic started in Berkeley but moved to the Roebbelen Center in 2021. The 160,000-square-foot center can accommodate 24 full-sized, hardwood volleyball courts. "It's an amazing facility, world class," said Peter Crowley, a coach with Pacific Rim Volleyball Academy in Pleasant Hill. The club had boys' teams win national titles in 2014 and 2015. "It's the premier facility in Northern California. (The Roebbelen Center) is not a secret anymore." And neither is volleyball, the fastest-growing girls' sport. About 200,000 girls are on club teams nationwide, with many of them also on high school squads, according to USA Volleyball. More boys are also playing volleyball but far fewer compared to the number of girls. Volleyball clubs are critical to the growth of the sport and its players. Clubs allow athletes to get first-rate coaching (Crowley and Desiderio were top-level players) and compete against highly skilled rivals and possibly earn a scholarship to play the sport in college. "Volleyball is a mega-sport and you have to play club to be considered," said Crowley, who adds that club volleyball is a tight-knit community. A rival today could be a teammate tomorrow in high school or college. "You almost look at the opponent as a teammate." About 2,500 athletes, from sixth-graders to high school seniors, will hit the floor at the Bay View Classic during the Memorial Day weekend. "It's a good environment," said Desiderio, who encourages the community to check out the tournament this weekend. "You will see the beauty of the sport." Tickets are $10 for a single-day ticket or $25 for a three-day pass. You can buy the tickets online at https://ncvaguest.ticketspice.com/23bvc. Day-of-the-event tickets are $15 for a single day or $35 for a three-day pass. However, on the day of the event, tickets can only be bought with cash. Parking is $10 per vehicle. Visit https://ncva.com/bayview for more information on the Bay View Classic.