As a night full of fun, cheers, and music, Volleyball for Charity, hosted on Friday, November 17, was a huge success. Over a hundred Edison High students came together and formed 22 teams to participate in the tournament. In total, the night raised $776 for Hugs for Brady, an organization dedicated to research on pediatric cancer.
The tournament followed a double-elimination style. Each team began the tournament playing in their round one matchup against another. Those who won continued along the bracket, and those who lost were given another chance to stay on the court through a loser bracket. The tournament was low-pressure, and teams consisted of a mix of athletes and non-athletes.
The finals came down to a JV and Varsity showdown between “Zoo Part Two” and “Mom!! Phineas and Ferb Are Playing Volleyball for Charity.” In the end, the latter, consisting of players Kirtan Amin ‘25, Kanishk Ragimanu ‘25, Pranav Ashok ‘25, Ronit Arora ‘25, Brady Boslet ‘24, and Mahdi Mohamed ‘24, prevailed.
“It feels good to win and defend the varsity title in the sport but it feels better to know that the top two teams were comprised of members of the boys’ volleyball program,” said Amin, who plays on the varsity team for the Eagles. “So although we were the winners, it was a real win for boys volleyball.”
Hosted alongside the tournament was a costume competition that encouraged students to let their imaginations run wild. Players dressed as a variety of movie and television characters, from Phineas and Ferb to Men in Black, and even in homemade, custom outfits.
The winners of this event were the “Care Bears,” consisting of Victoria Charles ‘24, Mei Kim ‘24, Kaitlyn Roudi ‘24, Isa Charles ‘25, and Abby Knott ‘24, who dressed with bear ears and decorative symbols.
“It was so awesome to be able to play my favorite sport in such a competitive environment,” said Mahesh Jonnalgada ‘26 of “Christian’s Disciples.” “To be able to play with and against a bunch of friends made it that much more enjoyable.”
Overall, with a large portion of the student population coming together to have fun and raise money for a worthy cause, this annual event continues to encourage unity within our community.
