Four years ago, the girls varsity volleyball team organized a volleyball tournament to raise money for long-time team bus driver Leroy Campbell, who needed surgery to remove a brain tumor. Over $1,000 was raised through the event.
This year, the team will be raising money for the Matinisi family, whose six-year-old son, Christian, died in August. Junior Katie Murphy, one of the organizers of the tournament, said Christian’s mother is a teacher in the school district. Some of the girls on the team also worked at the summer camp that Christian attended.
The tournament requires a $5 entry fee per player with 6 to 12 members per team. Murphy said the goal is to register four to six teams per grade. Two teams per grade had already signed up to play halfway through the first day for sign-ups, Oct. 2.
For a $2 donation, spectators will be welcome to the tournament, which will be held in the high school gymnasium. The volleyball team also plans to have a bake sale and raffle.
The single elimination tournament will have teams from each class facing off against each other. The winners from each class will meet for the championship.
Murphy said each match will entail one set to 25 points due to the number of teams. She said a set will only take between 15 and 20 minutes. The goal is to finish by 9 p.m., so children in the audience can get to bed at a reasonable time.
To prepare for the tournament, the junior and senior volleyball players will hold a couple of practice sessions, depending on time. Coaches will teach basic skills and fundamentals of the game, such as rotation. Junior teams will practice with their coaches and seniors with their coaches during separate practice sessions.
