Kelowna’s Quinci Birker and partner Darby Dunn of Langley will cap off a stellar season of beach volleyball this weekend in Seaside, Oregon.
Birker and Dunn will compete on Saturday and Sunday in the women’s Open Pro division at the Seaside Beach Volleyball tournament.
The Birker-Dunn duo was the youngest team to play this season on B.C.’s pro beach tour.
The twosome finished second overall in points during the tour season, which included a fourth-place finish at the Kits Classic, a bronze at the Parksville Open, and a gold medal at the Jim Clive Classic in Vancouver.
In addition to the B.C. pro tour, Quinci and Darby competed as the youngest team at Kelowna’s Centre of Gravity Volleyball tournament.
They finished ‘in the money’ with a fifth place showing, after losing to the eventual silver and bronze medalists in two close matches.
With her partner Dunn unavailable for competition, Quinci teamed up with Kaila Jennson from Edmonton to win the Schanks Pro tournament in Calgary in July.
Quinci and Darby finished their Canadian season with a strong showing at the Big West Volleyball tournament on the long weekend in August at Spanish Banks.
Once again competing as the youngest team in the open division, Birker and Dunn lost a semifinal thriller, 13-15 in the third set. Still, the duo went on to take the bronze with thrilling 15-12 win in the third and deciding set.
Quinci and Darby qualified for Team B.C. in mid June and received two weeks of intensive training camps as part of the program.
The Team BC program is geared to give its athletes a head start on training for the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg in 2017, where Birker and Dunn hope to represent the province.
Last summer Birker and Dunn won gold in the Western Canada Summer games in Fort McMurray, AB.
Birker graduated from KSS this year and will attend UBC Okanagan where she will play for Steve Manuel’s Heat women’s volleyball team.
