All eight schools that competed Friday and Saturday at the Gilbert Invitational Volleyball Tournament -- Horizon, Xavier, Corona del Sol, Desert Vista, Basha, Mountain Pointe, Hamilton and Gilbert -- were pleased with the competition it offered at the midpoint of the 2013 season.

Fans were treated to outstanding play all weekend and didn't have to pay for it. Not unless they wanted to. In lieu of admission, spectators were asked to donate to the Matthew Peters Scholarship Fund, in honor of Gilbert student and boys volleyball player Matthew Peters, who lost a school-year long battle with cancer this past spring.

Gilbert's 2013 squad has dedicated their season to Peters in a further show of unity with Gilbert's boys program. Gilbert and Xavier played a match last season honoring Peters in his battle with the disease with the slogan "Fight Cancer Like a Tiger". The Tigers have revamped the slogan this fall to "Live for Matthew". 

It's another example of what high school athletics presents to its partiicipants besides the particular sport in which they participate.

As for the tournament, each team played a match against the other seven. Defending D-I champ Horizon emerged unscathed at 7-0. Hamilton and Xavier posted 5-2 marks and Desert Vista and Gilbert finished 4-3. Many of the schools get the next week off or play just one match with fall break intervening.