All of the proceeds from the event, which amounted to at least $360, went to Special Olympics Michigan, a charity organization that helps provide athletic opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities.

“I personally love playing volleyball,” Knoedler said. “I try to play as much as possible, and I think it’s really cool that I can use my volleyball skills to raise money for a good cause.”

The event was open to both undergraduate and graduate students and had a total of eight teams participating. The games started at 11 a.m. and ran into the afternoon.

The Special Olympians made their own appearance at noon, joining the participating teams to compete in multiple games.

“Earlier in the year, we did a mixer where 10 percent of the sales went to Ele’s Place in Lansing, so we wanted to do other events that benefited other local charities,” COGS Director of Event Planning Lexi MacMillan said. “We wanted to get people out there so we decided on the volleyball tournament.”

COGS President Stefan Fletcher showed his support by cheering on teams from the sidelines.
“My volleyball-playing days were behind me when I was two years old,” Fletcher jokingly said. “I have the athleticism of Bob Barker, and no one needs to see me in gym shorts.”

While MacMillan also didn’t participate in the games, she said she took great enjoyment in watching some of the Special Olympians take the floor to show off their skills by teaming up with the participating teams.

“Watching the Special Olympics team play is really amazing,” MacMillan said. “They’re really talented, so it was really fun to watch the (Special Olympics).”