She Can Dig It, But Only For Two Weeks Each Year Tombari Has Become Veteran Of Summer Volleyball Tournament

For two weeks out of the year, Story Tombari is a dedicated athlete.

That’s about how long it takes her and her teammates to prepare for the annual Spike and Dig volleyball tournament.

“I’m not willing to make that much of a commitment to a college team,” said Tombari, a 1997 Gonzaga Prep graduate, who was a setter on her high school team. “There are other things that I want to do while I’m at school.”

Tombari, who will be a sophomore business major at Gonzaga University this fall, brushes up on her game every summer on the large lawn at Spokane Falls Community College, where the six-on-six event is held.

This year’s tournament, which runs Saturday and Sunday, is the sixth. Tombari has played in it since she was in seventh grade. Last summer, her team won the C Division. This year, she and her longtime teammates and former classmates, Erin Higgins and Jane May, move up to the B Division.

The tournament attracts 200 teams that are split into divisions ranging from AAA players to novices.

Participants compete in pool play all day Saturday to determine seeding for Sunday’s single-elimination format.

“I had no idea what to expect when we first went in,” Tombari said. “Everybody was about the same. Nobody was that great of players. And now it’s gotten to be pretty big and a lot more teams take it more serious.”

For the second consecutive year, the winning AAA Division team will receive $500. Last year’s championship team of Spokane players headed by Jodey Reece will be back.

Tombari and her teammates will be there primarily to have fun.

“But we don’t want to go out and screw up,” she added.

To prevent that from happening, they have been practicing - for about two weeks.

SPIKE AND DIG Where: Spokane Falls Community College When: Saturday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Participants: 200 teams of sixes on 58 grass courts Divisions: AAA, AA, A, B, C and Jungle Ball (novice); adult and junior Scoring: Match win is 2 out of 3 games. Games scored to 11 points; must win by one. Format: Pool-play Saturday. Teams seeded for Sunday’s single-elimination tournament. Prize: T-shirts to all participants. $500 to AAA division winner. Registration: Field is closed.