Corona del Sol, Horizon, and Notre Dame Prep are just a few of the 32 Arizona schools represented in the 15th annual Nike Tournament of Champions Southwest which gets underway this morning. 

The tournament includes 96 of the top Girls’ volleyball teams from around the country, from as far away as Florida. The tournament is hosted at Bell Bank Park in southeast Mesa. 

Some of the nation’s top ranked teams are on hand, including No. 6 ranked Sierra Canyon out of Southern California.

Corona del Sol (6A)and Horizon(5A), two of last season’s state champions, are looking forward to the national competition and the improvement that comes with the experience. 

"It’s nice to play other top teams from around the country," Corona del Sol coach Ben Maxfield said.

"Our goal is always to win it but we like using the tournament to work on new lineups and give all our players valuable experience for the state tournament."  

Notre Dame Prep, which jumped up to 5A this year, has already knocked off Horizon twice this season. Star outside hitter Evan Hendrix–bound for Texas Christian University–has been the driving force behind the Saints’ 15-2 record thus far.

“That’s a big boost beating Horizon, but tournaments are always fun when you get to play teams we normally don’t see,” Hendrix earlier in the season.

The tournament concludes tomorrow evening.

For more tournament information, go to https://www.thetoc.org/product/nike-tournament-of-champions-southwest-2023/