By Ryan Kelleher
The men’s varsity volleyball team shutout the Silverado Skyhawks, 3-0 on Tuesday, April 18. The annual fundraiser, Aces for Autism, also took place on the same night during the game.
Aces for Autism is a fundraiser the volleyball program does every year to raise money for the special education program. The money raised is donated to other organizations which raise awareness for autism.
The team held raffles and sold t-shirts to raise money. Players in the volleyball program brought in donations to be raffled off at the game. Participants bought raffle tickets to have a chance at winning one of the prizes, which included gift cards, gift baskets, and even a bike.
“I think the fundraiser is important because it raises awareness for autism. Out of 68 people, one person is diagnosed with autism, so it is important to make sure people are aware of it,” Ms. Wilson, special education teacher, said.
While the fundraiser was going on, the varsity started their game inside the gym. The Cougs started off the match swinging, with the Skyhawk defense being unable to handle the Cougar’s hard hitting offense, and couldn’t make a comeback after their first time out. The Cougs ended up crushing Silverado in the first set 25-16.
“Crushing [Silverado] in the first set caused us to become more optimistic and enthusiastic in the following sets,” Timothy Kelleher, junior, said.
The Cougs huge lead followed into the second set. The Skyhawks were having a hard time serving and defending against the Cougars aggressive hitters. The Cougs superior defense and hitting sealed the second set victory 25-17.
Silverado started off the third set strong making the Cougs struggle to take the lead and began to fall behind early in. After a sideout by the Cougars which caused the game to be tied up 7-7, the Cougars got back their rhythm back and took the lead. As the set progressed, the Skyhawks fought back and tied it up, 23-23. Coronado’s great offense led the team to a victory in the final set, 26-24 and the match, 3-0.
“We did pretty well for the most part, and we are definitely getting better. I was also very happy to see everyone play tonight,” Coach Johnson said.
