The field house is full of commotion. The students were spread out in four courts dressed in a variety of costumes ranging from bananas to Ariana Grande.
“I’m dressed as Ariana Grande, the queen,” senior Diyas Seitov said.
The Ninjas get in their formations and start off the match with a long-distance serve. On the other side of the court, the Monkeys get ready to pass. After a few passes, the Ninjas get the first spike and score the team a point.
This isn’t just a normal volleyball tournament, this is for the UNICEF organization that supports unfortunate children all around the country. To play in this tournament, you had to dress up in a costume and pay $5 dollars to support the cause.
“It’s for UNICEF, and it is an organization that reaches out to about 190 countries that are less fortunate, and they donate their money and their time to help the young throughout their adolescence,” English teacher and UNICEF organizer Courtney Fulton said.
On the other side of the gym, there is a loud noise. Whistles blow as one of the Baddies serves over the net. They make two passes over the net and work hard to keep it in the air. After a few of these passes and sets, Seitov, dressed as Ariana Grande, hits the ball out of bounds. In the first 15 minutes, the score remains 5-10.
The boys huddle with their coach and do a cheer. As one of the players serves the ball, Bart Zokowski is determined and makes a dive, but fails to win them a point. Friends watching cheer loudly and exclaim for their peers who won a point. One of the Baddies makes an outstanding hit from the left side, also known as 4, or in better words, “outside hitter” that wins them the leading and final point. The Baddies end up winning to the Purple Salads with a score of 25-18.
“It’s kind of just an outreach or something where we can help support. I’m not entirely sure what it is, but I know that I can come out here and support something for the greater good,” senior Cameron Mueller said.
In the next match, boys all dressed as different animals walk up to the court. The Monkeys serve and the ball goes right into a player’s costume, which was a memorable moment for the audience as well as the players, but that didn’t stop their determination. They all laughed and went on with game.
The Baddies move on to round two with a team of different colors. All dressed in pink, one of the baddies makes an amazing spike, scoring them a point. Blue serves the ball and after two passes the colors score a point after another point leading to the loss of the Baddies. The game kept the audience on their toes while supporting a great cause behind it.
“Knowing that we have a decent amount of these kids coming out just for fun, dressing up, taking the time to dress up and then raise money on top of it is great,” Fulton said.
