FrannieMorris

There are many unique things that Marian does to bring awareness to certain causes like drives or campaigns, such as Toys for Tots and Free Dress for Philanthropy. This year, the volleyball team created a new way to generate awareness for a special cause. 

September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, and the volleyball program went above and beyond to make sure they raise awareness for this cause, in conjunction with the organization Angels Among Us.

They hoped to achieve this by wearing gold at their game on Sept. 22, as the gold ribbon represents pediatric cancer. This shows both other teams and the spectators that these girls care about bringing awareness to causes like this that affect so many people everywhere. 

If you ask someone about Marian volleyball, they would likely give you statistics and rankings. But what really makes the volleyball teams at Marian stand out is what happens off the court.

This year, the volleyball program is implementing a new element where they put a group of two or three girls together every week and require them to do some sort of activity together for at least 30 minutes. Each week, they switch up the groups so that everyone on the team can get a chance to really know each other outside of just practices and games. 

This new activity is meant to build individual bonds with the girls, creating a more bonded, and hopefully more successful, team as a whole. 

These girls learn to trust one another more and form more of a family-like environment through this bonding, giving them friendships beyond just the volleyball season. 

Senior varsity player Ella Hatz said  that she really “notices the difference in chemistry between everyone on the team.” She also said that every time she has hung out with one of her teammates, a hangout that was supposed to be at least a half hour lasted over an hour every time. 

Overall, whether it is through things such as the buddy hangouts or the “Going Gold” game, the Marian volleyball program makes recognizable efforts to make everyone feel seen and included.