Boys volleyball teams from around the Northwest will compete to claim “King of the Court” in the first annual Absolute Zero Spikological Showdown tournament at the Mercer Island Boys and Girls Club on Saturday, March 12. Boys-only volleyball teams are increasing in presence in the Puget Sound region. Saturday’s tournament will be one of the largest to date in the Seattle area, and an opportunity to showcase local youth male volleyball athletes.

Competitors from Idaho, Spokane and the Portland area will join Western Washington teams in this indoor KOB-style (King of the Beach) tournament hosted by Mercer Island’s Absolute Zero volleyball club. Teams will participate in two age divisions — U18 and U15.

KOB tournament structure allows athletes to compete against as many teams as they are able during the all-day tournament, with 40 minutes allotted for each best-of-three match. At day’s end, the team crowned King of the Court is the one with the most overall game wins.

“This allows all the teams an opportunity to get the most play time against the most number of teams as possible,” said tournament director Billie Hwang. Traditional tournaments, in contrast, feature morning pool play with afternoon matches assigned based on morning game results.

Admission is free to the public and awards will take place at approximately 6 p.m.