Students volley for the cure

Joy, sadness, promise and hope were just a few emotions that filled Glenbard West High School's Biester Gymnasium during a Volley for the Cure game, which raised money for breast cancer research.

Glenbard West and Willowbrook High School girls volleyball coaches and teams joined forces and sold more than 1,400 T-shirts for $10 each and raised more than $6,000. Coaches were encouraged to support breast cancer during a recent Illinois High School Association meeting, and more than 70 schools around the state participated in a similar activity.

"We just used our game as an opportunity to run with it," Glenbard West Head Volleyball Coach Pete Mastandrea said. "For anything to be a great success, you have to have a great partnership."

About 1,500 people attended the game, which included a variety of other activities to engage students including a kayaking competition and raffles.

Volleyball players did a lot of the sales legwork and helped deliver T-shirts to customers.

"When there's a tragedy or someone devastated by an illness, the best thing you can do is rally together and support them," Mastandrea said. "That's exactly what we did."

He said the game wasn't about winning - and instead was about the message the teams were standing up for.

"I thought it was a tremendous success, and a lot of people left touched," he said. "It just kind of swept us all off our feet."

Most students purchased the T-shirts before the game and were admitted free if they wore the shirts to the game. Others had to pay a $10 admission fee that will be donated to breast cancer.

Mastandrea said next year Glenbard West and Willowbrook high schools plan to back another cause during their annual game.

"At some point, we're all going to get sick and have an illness," he said. "Let's just hope there's a cure for everything that touches everyone's lives."