KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tournaments are usually a time when people can gather and share good times, make memories and compete to be the best. On Saturday, it was also a time to remember a person that the Knoxville volleyball community cherished.
Vasile Ghelan died after his plane crashed near the Rockwood Airport. He was a student pilot and as he flew to Cleveland Regional Jetport, the plane started descending. It later crashed into a dense thicket of trees.
Soon after news of the crash reached Knoxville's volleyball community, members worked to honor him. Many called him kind, loving and said that there was nobody like him. He was an avid volleyball player, they said, and they organized a tournament in his honor — the V.G. Volleyball Classic.
They said the tournament will be named after him every year it is held.
"He was a dear friend to a lot of us and we as a community wanted to memorialize him and his love for the game," organizers said. "He touched so many of our lives all over the country in the volleyball world and I wanted there to be a way so that we could bring this amazing community together."
Cash prizes were awarded to winners in the Open, AA and A divisions, with merchandise and prizes for winners in BB divisions. It was held in the Rocky Hill Ball Field.
"It's just a way for people to always remember and a way to show that people who make such an impact — they don't get forgotten," said David Middlebrooks, who organized the tournament. "This is one way that, for years and years to come, he will be remembered as a staple of Knoxville volleyball."