Welcome to the 3rd Annual Volley for Hope Pickleball Tournament benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee - leading the community in the fight to end hunger. 202,560 East Tennesseans are at risk of hunger, uncertain where their next meal will come from. At Second Harvest Food Bank, we are working to change that statistic in 18 East Tennessee counties. The Vision of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee envisions adequate nutrition for a healthy life for adults, seniors and children in 18 counties of East Tennessee. Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee is a Feeding America food bank designed to alleviate hunger in our community. You may have heard the words "food bank" or "food pantry," but what do they really mean?

A food bank is a nonprofit that receives and then safely stores food before distributing it to hunger relief partners, from schools to churches to food pantries. Food pantries are the locations where this food is shared with the community.

Join your friends (and your food bank) at Knoxville’s ultimate pickleball facility, Pavilion of Pickleball! Our 3rd annual charity pickleball tournament features matches for all ages and skill levels. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, 100% of registration fees go to putting meals on the tables of East Tennesseans who experience food insecurity! To Learn more go to: https://secondharvestetn.org/learn/

Tournament players each receive a swag bag full of pickleball goodies. Snacks and beverages available throughout the tournament thanks to our sponsors.

****EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION APRIL 1ST THROUGH MIDNIGHT APRIL 14TH $50 INCLUDES TWO EVENTS THEN PRICE INCREASES TO $60.00 FOR TWO EVENTS****

Regular Registration is $60 and includes two events.

Southern Pickleball will be operating this years event.

The event will be three days Friday June 6th through Sunday June 8th with the schedule below.

June 6th - Women's Doubles 9am Start time June 7th - Mixed Doubles 9am Start time

June 8th - Men's Doubles 9am Start time

Specific start times for each event will be posted and emailed to players approximately one week prior to the event.

***The last day to be guaranteed a tournament shirt is Sunday, June 1st. Shirts are unisex and run larger than gender sizes specifically for women.***

As registration proceeds, tournament management reserves the option to combine brackets as needed if brackets do not fill. Brackets will be combined by age if possible to avoid combining skills.

Skills levels include 2.5,3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5+ Age Divisions will be 16 to 49 and 60 and over.

A team must play at the skill level of the higher rated player (or higher) and the age group of the younger player. Age is calculated as of 12/31/2025. Players may play up in skill level and down in age level.

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You may register and identify your partner or request ""Need partner"". Selecting that you ""need a partner"" allows other players to see that you are available to play in the tournament. We do our best to introduce players that need partners, but this selection does not mean that the tournament will find a partner for you. It is still your responsibility to find a partner.

There are no referees. Matches are self-monitored. If a referee is requested, we will do our best to provide one.

RATINGS

- DUPR ratings will be used.

- Tournament Director reserves the right to move a player to a higher/lower level at their discretion

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Mizuno is the official shoe of the Southern Pickleball Association!

At the close of registration, the tournament staff will move up players whose DUPR ratings have changed since registering for this tournament. Players with DUPR reliability rating of 50 or lower may appeal their current rating.

The Southern Pickleball Association adheres to the guidelines set forth in the USA Pickleball Rulebook. All gameplay, officiating, and judgment decisions during our events are based on these rules to ensure consistency and fairness for all players.

We encourage all participants to familiarize themselves with the USA Pickleball Rulebook to understand the standards and expectations that govern our games. For more information or to access the rulebook, please visit USA Pickleball's official website. https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/official-rules/

In addition, the Southern Pickleball Association only allows paddles that are on the official USA Pickleball paddle list. It is the player's responsibility to make sure their paddle is currently approved by USA Pickleball for tournament play. https://equipment.usapickleball.org/paddle-list/

 Thank you for helping us uphold the integrity of the sport!

Withdraw deadline is May 18th at midnight. Players may withdraw prior to midnight on May 18th for any reason and receive a refund minus a $20 administrative fee. After May 18th there are no refunds for any reason unless a player has purchased weather and injury tournament insurance. Weather and Tournament Insurance covers a player if the tournament is canceled due to weather or if a player or a player's partner must withdraw due to injury or a family emergency. Additionally, player registration fees may not be transferred to other players.

Outside Courts are wet:

3.5 (16 to 49) , 4.0 Combined (16+, 50+) brackets have been delayed until noon. Please check in by 11:30.

Start times for all other brackets have not changed.