The 34th annual Spike & Dig returned to Dwight Merkel Sports Complex on Saturday and Sunday, bringing one of the country’s largest grass volleyball events back to Spokane.
Organizers said the tournament was on pace to be its largest of all time, with more than 500 teams and a few thousand players expected across the weekend. Spike & Dig has been a summer tradition in Spokane since Jerry Schmidt founded it in 1992, and it continues to stand out because it remains a 6-on-6 grass tournament rather than the beach volleyball format that is more common for outdoor events.
A longtime Spokane tradition
Brandon Schmidt said the event is built to welcome players at every level. Teams are bracketed by skill, so beginners can compete against similar competition while semi-pro players do the same in their own division. That structure has helped the tournament grow while keeping it accessible.
“We’re really excited,” Brandon Schmidt said. “We are on pace to be our largest of all time.” He also noted that outdoor volleyball tournaments usually lean toward beach volleyball, while Spike & Dig has stayed true to its full 6-on-6 grass format since the beginning.
“When we first started in ’92, we were pretty unique in the full 6-on-6 outdoor and grass,” he said. “As the game has grown, we are seeing more and more grass tournaments come along, but it’s still pretty unique to have a 6-on-6 co-ed tournament like ours.”
Why players keep coming back
For Joey Dickinson, the tournament has been part of his life for more than 20 years. He first played in Spike & Dig as a middle schooler and now returns each August to compete in the open division. He said he has won lower brackets over the years and has also won the open division one time, which he described as a major accomplishment after so many years in the event.
But Dickinson said the appeal goes beyond results. He pointed to the atmosphere and the memories built around the tournament, including time spent playing with family when he was younger.
“Aside from the fact that it’s played on grass, I’d say the environment,” Dickinson said. “It’s just a really good weekend to get out in some good weather, play volleyball.”
That kind of loyalty helps explain why Spike & Dig has lasted so long in Spokane. Brandon Schmidt said the tournament remains local and family-run, and he credited the community for helping make it special year after year. “Spokane really comes together as a community for these type of events,” he said.
For a tournament that began in 1992 and has grown into one of the nation’s largest grass volleyball events, the formula is still simple: organize the brackets, welcome every skill level and let the weekend do the rest.
