Harry Ainlay High School’s senior boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams began competition Thursday in the annual Titans Volleyball Tournament, a three-week event in south Edmonton. Each squad welcomes seven rival teams to play in the school’s large and small gyms and at the neighbouring Catholic high school, Louis St. Laurent.

The tournament, known as TVT, has been hosted by Harry Ainlay for many years. The school’s junior and senior boys’ and girls’ teams each run a three-day tournament. Junior competitions took place last week, and junior high boys’ and girls’ tournaments are set for next week.

Tyler Greenslade, Harry Ainlay’s athletic director, said TVT gives Titans players a chance to develop during the Metro Edmonton High School season. “It’s really high level volleyball when we consider in the province the five schools that are in the mix for provincials,” he told CTV News Edmonton. He added: “This is kind of what the end of November (playoffs) might look like.”

The senior Ainlay boys and girls will both meet Charles Spencer of Grande Prairie, Lindsay Thurber of Red Deer, W.H. Croxford of Airdrie and Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. The boys’ field also includes Edmonton’s Jasper Place and Lillian Osborne. The girls’ field includes Edmonton’s Strathcona and Yale Secondary of Abbotsford, B.C.

In last week’s junior finals, St. Albert’s Paul Kane beat Harry Ainlay for the junior boys title. Charles Spencer defeated Lindsay Thurber to win the junior girls championship.

Harry Ainlay’s senior girls won bronze at provincials last year, while both senior teams from Lindsay Thurber took gold. Senior boys’ and girls’ teams from Charles Spencer and W.H. Croxford also competed at provincials, as did the senior boys from Jasper Place and Lethbridge and Strathcona’s senior girls. CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum contributed to the report.

Based on reporting by CTV News Edmonton.