Hurricane volleyball coach Daniel McKeehan knows the 3A state volleyball tournament will be memorable for the matches. For the last two years, however, he's tried to make them memorable for off-court reasons.

Last year the Tigers took gifts and spent some time at Primary Children's Medical Center. And Thursday morning, just a few hours before they began their tournament run that would eventually end with a 3A title, they visited Rocky Mountain Elementary in Lindon.

The volleyball players read to students, helped others with their schoolwork and even assisted the school's P.E. teacher in demonstrating some sports skills.

"Some of the girls worked with seven or eight students in a special education class," said McKeehan. "They were kids with severe handicaps, and they came out of there just loving it. We even had some come out and say they wanted to be teachers."

McKeehan said the team chose a service project that would allow the players to work directly with people they might not otherwise come in contact with. The school only had about an hour for the players to help out, but the coach said it was worth the extra stop.

"That's a big part of life, learning to serve other people,"

McKeehan said. "They wanted to stay another hour. They just really had a good time. They loved it."

The Tigers went on to claim the 3A title without losing a set in the tournament, which was played at UVU's McKay Event Center in Orem.

HUNGRY FOR HOOPS? Fall sports are in their final weeks, but some people are already looking forward to basketball season. For the sixth consecutive year, the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield will host four preview tournaments that will feature the best boys and girls teams from 1A and 2A schools.

The 1A girls will play November 21 and 22, while the 1A boys will compete in a tournament December 12 and 13. The 2A boys will play December 5 and 6, and the 2A girls will compete in the last tournament on December 19 and 20.

Richfield athletic director Richard Barton called the tournaments "a unique opportunity to bring teams together from their classifications and get an early preview at what they are up against."

Because 1A and 2A teams are so geographically diverse, the tournaments allow teams not only to scout the competition without logging hundreds of miles on the bus or in cars, it allows coaches to assess where their own teams are in relation to the other competitors.

Barton said hosting these previews has been key in allowing the Sevier Valley Center's ability to host 1A and 2A state tournaments.

"The Richfield community has gone out of their way to be hospitable," he said. A large volunteer effort and huge community support also enhance the experience these teams are having at the tournaments.