Big week for top South Florida teams
South Florida’s best girls’ volleyball teams have a chance — or even a couple of chances this week — to tune-up for next week’s district playoffs.
Miami-Dade County’s best public school squads will square off Tuesday at Ferguson High in the annual GMAC tournament.
Some of Broward County’s best, including nationally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas, will compete in the second annual BCAA Big 8 tournament Saturday at Cardinal Gibbons.
And if that’s not enough volleyball, some of the top-ranked teams in the state from both counties will also compete in the Smoothie King Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Ransom Everglades in Coconut Grove.
The eight-team GMAC tournament kicks off at 2p.m. as the host Falcons vie to win their second title in a row and third overall.
Led by sophomore Michelle Cuervo, Ferguson is once again in the mix for the District 15-8A championship and a potential trip to state.
But the team Ferguson beat for last year’s GMAC title, Coral Reef, enters the tournament undefeated. Led by senior Kristine Rios, the Barracudas will try to prove they can return to state.
Coral Reef is on the same side of the bracket with a much-improved Southwest squad, led by senior Sheyanne Sullivan. The Eagles jumped out to one of the best starts of any Dade team this season and will likely find themselves in a battle with Ferguson and Lourdes for the district title next week.
Southwest opens the tournament at 2 p.m. against Hialeah Gardens and faces either Coral Reef or Mourning in the semifinals. That quarterfinal will be played at 3:30 p.m.
Ferguson faces TERRA at 3:30 p.m. in a quarterfinal on the other side of the bracket. The winner plays the winner of the American-Miami High quarterfinal at 2 p.m. The semifinals will be played at 5 p.m. with the final to follow immediately after.
Saturday’s BCAA final begins at 9 a.m. at Gibbons and concludes at 2:30 p.m.
In last season’s inaugural event, Aquinas defeated Gibbons in a thrilling final.
The two-day Smoothie King Invitational will feature several local stalwarts including host Ransom, Westminster Christian, Chaminade-Madonna, Lourdes and Palmer Trinity.
This story was originally published October 13, 2014 at 11:38 PM with the headline "Big week for top South Florida teams."