Serve For The Cure
Available Location(s): Granite Street, Northlake
"Serve For The Cure" Volleyball Tournament
About Serve For The Cure
The Serve For The Cure Volleyball Tournament was started in 2002 by volleyball coach and cancer survivor Suzie Pignetti. Serve For The Cure has grown into the largest teen student run event benefitting breast cancer research and health services. Over the last seventeen years, hundreds of young female athletes and over 25 participating schools have raised over $500,000 for cancer research. The event is also an educational opportunity to increase awareness of breast cancer and women's health.
How To Get Involved
Team Participation - Open to Varsity and JV High School Volleyball Teams.
Player Participation - Players on each team collect donations and sell raffle tickets.
Volunteer Participation - Volunteers are needed to help before and the day of the tournament.
Family & Individual Sponsorships - Raffle Ticket Purchases and Personal Donations are accepted.
Corporate Sponsorships - Various levels of Corporate Sponsorships are available.
The 2020 Serve For The Cure Tournament
Has Been Cancelled.
September 15, 2020
Because of safety concerns regarding COVID19, we are sad to announce the cancellation of the 2020 Serve for the Cure Volleyball Charity Event scheduled for October 3. Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.
As you know we tried to insert a smaller 4x4 tournament to allow our event to go forward in a safe way. CJV and Sports Connection gave us an opportunity to hold our event in a different format but, unfortunately, with the schools’ unsettled teams and schedules, we were not able to generate the necessary interest
Thank you all so much for your support and dedication to SFTC in the past and we hope to see you at our event in 2021!
Sincerely,
Serve for the Cure Committee
Suzie Pignetti, Chair
Ellen Kazura, Co-Chair
Date
October 3, 2020 - Cancelled For 2020
Sponsor and Site
Sports Connection, 10930 Granite Street, Charlotte
Divisions
Middle School, Junior Varsity, Varsity, Open (JV and Varsity)
Both Indoor and Beach At All Sessions
Entry Fee
$80/team per session; A team’s roster may have up to 6 players (4 play at a time)
Raffle Tickets
Players try to sell tickets; prizes awarded to top three overall sellers.
Format:
Play every team in your division.
Total play of 5 games to 25 or 25 minutes per game.
Winning Team
Determined by total matches won; awards to all first place teams.
Safety Measures
- No spectators
- Players must wear masks while entering and exiting the facility
- Players must bring their own water bottles
- Each 6 team pool will have all their matches on the same three courts
- Only 4 players will play on the court at one time; allowed up to 6 on a team
- Three separate pools to limit the number of people in the gym at a time
- Waiver: Players must read, sign, and adhere to all safety measures in order to participate (linked in the registration sign up).
Registration Deadline
September 14, 2020
Session 1 - 8:30 - 11:30
Indoor: JV – 18 teams max, 6 teams on 3 courts
Beach: Varsity – 6 teams max on 3 courts
Session 2 - 12:00 - 3:00
Indoor: Varsity - 18 teams max, 6 teams on 3 courts
Beach: JV - 6 teams max on 3 courts
Session 3 - 3:30 - 6:30
Indoor: Middle School, Open (JV & Varsity) 18 teams max, 6 teams on 3 courts
Beach: Open (JV & Varsity) 6 teams max on 3 courts
From The Founder
Suzie Pignetti was diagnosed with breast cancer in March of 1997, and had a mastectomy surgery and rigorous, chemotherapy regimen. Today, Pignetti, 74, is a breast cancer survivor of more than 20 years. The disease changed her life and inspired her to help other survivors, and to give back in the constant search for the cure to breast cancer.
While Pignetti was a legendary volleyball coach at Charlotte Latin, Charlotte Country Day and Butler on the court – amassing 745 career wins, including 29 conference championships and 15 state championships (including nine, state championships in a row at Charlotte Latin 2004-2012) in her 35-year tenure – she’s even more proud of the opportunities volleyball has provided her off the court.
In September each year, 20+ volleyball teams from schools in NC & SC will compete in the Annual Serve for the Cure Volleyball Tournament at Sports Connection’s and Carolina Juniors Volleyball Center.
To date, the tournament has raised $500,00 for cancer research.
The tournament “started out from the passion I had to see if we could use our sport (volleyball) to help raise money for awareness and money to help find a cure for breast cancer,” said Pignetti. “I remember the first year (2002) we had six schools and raised $5,000 and I thought that was going to be hard to top.
“But Serve for the Cure has grown every year and it just seems to keep getting better and better. It’s not just a few schools anymore, it’s really a (greater) Charlotte community event now.”
The event also benefits from sponsors such as Carolina Juniors Volleyball and the Sports’ Connection to more than 60 other sponsors that support the tournament with money, goods and services.
“I think the girls really get it,” Pignetti said. “They want to give back to something bigger than themselves, something bigger than volleyball.”
