Volleyball teams representing over a dozen nations filed into the West Gym on Sunday morning, seeking not only victory, but also to raise money for charity.
The Binghamton Association for Mixed Students (BAMS) along with the men’s club volleyball team collaborated to host Sunday’s “Spike for a Cause” event. Featuring a turnout of over 100 students, the event served as an opportunity for BU students to hit the court with their best spikes, blocks and kills for a purpose that digs a little deeper than most volleyball sets.
Proceeds of $800 were raised from both donations and a $4 entry fee for players. The money raised was split between the men’s club volleyball team and BAMS equally, with BAMS donating their share to the winning team’s charity and men’s club volleyball putting their proceeds toward fundraising for the National Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky next year.
The entire event lasted six hours, and the Colombia team came out victorious after a single-elimination playoff round. The team is still deciding which charity they would like to give funding to.
“BAMS wanted to do something as a charity event that would really make people not only want to want to do something for a good cause, but to also have fun while doing it,” said Shekar Muruganathan, president of BAMS and a junior majoring in economics.
BU students got the chance to choose from a list of 18 nations to represent, such as Finland or South Korea, for a chance to compete in the name of giving during this holiday season. In the tournament, 14 teams got the chance to fight for the top spot and donate their winnings to their nation’s charities, including UNICEF.
“Each country represents three charities that support that country,” said John Bradford, senior adviser of BAMS and a senior double-majoring in mathematics and economics. “Whichever team wins here today, all BAMS proceeds will go to support that country.”
Victoria Weisser, a junior majoring in psychology and a member of the women’s club volleyball team, commended the event’s creativity and competed as part of Team Fiji.
“We love volleyball and it’s great to be able to play volleyball for such a great cause,” Weisser said.
Bradford, who traveled with the men’s club team last year as a member of the squad, was hopeful after seeing the event’s large turnout.
Seeing the event as an opportunity for non-student athletes to stay active and competitive outside of the recreational season, Bradford stressed the event’s secondary job as a grudge match for intramural athletes.
”Intramurals end and there’s people who lose and want to have a chance to redeem themselves,” Bradford said. “And we gave them that.”
But even though there was only one winner for the day, the tournament’s impressive turnout paired with fundraising success left the event’s organizers hopeful for more “world champions” to come.
“This is exciting,” Bradford said. “This means that we can do it again — that there’s people who are excited about volleyball.”
Editor’s note: E. Jay Zarett participated in “Spike for a Cause” and did not contribute to the writing or editing of this article.