Schreiber held its very first Spike It Up tournament in honor of Pierce Slutzsky, a senior who devastatingly lost his battle to cancer in Sept.

Students lined up to register their team for the anticipated tournament.

All of the money raised went towards the Pierce Slutzsky Memorial Scholarship Fund.

On Friday, Dec. 20, the volleyball tournament brought students and staff together to support this important cause.

Registration began a week prior to the tournament and slots filled up quickly.

Thirty-six teams of six players signed up to participate in the event.

There was a limit of two varsity or JV volleyball players allowed on each team.

The teams had to pay an entry fee of $30 and make a creative team name. The event required a lot of assistance from students and staff.

“Planning Spike It Up took a lot of help from Mrs. Giamanco and Student Council. The Phys. Ed. Department was instrumental in making this a reality with Kyle Wong each of the teachers pitching in their time to help set up the gym for the day of the tournament,” said senior Andrew Athanasian.

“Student Council was also an integral player in this as they handled the donations and team registration, which was a lot more work than we thought it would be,” said Athanasian.

Athanasian was also the MC for the volleyball tournament and kept track of the bracket.

The tournament took place during school hours, so students playing in the tournament were excused from their classes during periods 3.1 to 4.2.

Although most students did not take part, many classes came out to support their classmates while they played.

“Spike It Up was definitely one of my favorite events. I was so excited to play, and even after my team got eliminated, I enjoyed watching other teams. In addition to the entertaining aspect, the amount of students who signed up to support such a great cause was incredible. There was so much unity within the school and it was really special,” said junior Jack Witkow.

There was so much excitement that some teams even made their own jerseys to play in.

As more and more teams got eliminated, there remained only two, “That’s What She Set” and “Suntan.” 

After an intense game, “That’s What She Set” became the champions of the first ever Spike It Up tournament.

The winning team was made up of seniors Jack Sambursky, Eric Epstein, Matt Gurlitz, Ethan Mitchell, Rami Moursi, and Kevin Nadolne.

They played extremely well in all their games, and their hard work definitely paid off.

“In the final game, we certainly felt the pressure. Everyone on our team needed to step up and help with what they could. We were playing not just for ourselves, but for Pierce,” said senior Eric Epstein.

“It felt awesome to participate and winning was just a bonus, as we were able to truly feel connected to him,” said Epstein.

This event showed the unity amongst the Schreiber community and will also never let the memory of Pierce Slutzsky fade.

“To see it all come together was nothing short of awesome. I know Pierce was  looking down on that day and he was smiling. I would say it was probably my   favorite day of high school so far,” said  Athanasian.

“The gym was electric, teams made homemade jerseys, and we were all united  in one cause. I hope that this becomes a Schreiber tradition that continues on long after I graduate,” he said.