The Washburn University Wellness Club partnered with the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority to host a Pink Volleyball tournament on Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

Five teams entered the tournament, checking in for registration at 9:30 a.m. with registration sheets and a $30 team registration fee. All proceeds went to the Zeta Tau Alpha philanthropy for Breast Cancer Awareness. 

The tournament was set up for pool play, where all five teams faced off. The teams were then ranked and awarded prizes according to the number of wins they accumulated throughout the morning. 

Megan Kirkhart, Secretary of the Wellness Club, was the primary organizer of the event, and enlisted the help of ZTA volunteers to help her run the tournament.

Kirkhart said the idea for the tournament came from Akaylah Hanzlicek, an SRWC employee and Vice President of Wellness Club, who attended a National Intramural Recreation and Sports Association conference last year and got the idea when she heard about how other institutions used the tournament to raise money to support a cause.

“We thought it would be a great opportunity to work with the ZTA’s since their philanthropy was Breast Cancer Awareness.

“We wanted to take this event and use it to involve Washburn students and help make them aware of what they could do to support the cause,” said Kirkhart.

Ethan Komp, who played on the American Medical Student Association team, said he thought that all the participants had a great time.

“It was a lot of fun playing other student teams. It was just really laid back and a fun way to spend a Saturday,” Komp said.

In addition to the AMSA team, teams representing the Leadership Institute, members of the Greek community, and two additional student teams participated in the tournament.

Every participant walked away with prizes ranging from gift certificates to Q’Doba, On the Border, Coldstone, Mr. Goodcents and the Washburn University Bookstore, to pink volleyballs signed by the Washburn University Lady Blues volleyball team. The tournament champions received pink Under Armour drawstring bags, while the second place team received pink water bottles.  Third place received pink ribbon key chains, and the fourth and fifth place teams walked away with a collection of coupons.

The tournament raised $157 that will be donated to the cause, and fund-raising efforts will continue until the remaining Think Pink T-shirts are sold. Students interested in purchasing a shirt can contact Kirkhart at (620) 260-5825.