High school volleyball games are generally boisterous affairs with lively, noise-rich environments.
But at the Northwestern-Bellefontaine volleyball match at Bellefontaine High School on Saturday, Sept. 21 the energy from the players will still be there, but the noise from the crowd will be absent … at least for the first nine points of the opening set.
The only noise coming from the gymnasium during these first nine points will be from the coaches, players, and the sweet sounds of spikes, digs, sets and whistles. Parents, grandparents, fellow students, and all other Chieftains and Warriors fans in the in the stands are being asked to sit on their hands for the first nine points. After that, all
bets are off.
It’s called a Silent Set, and Saturday’s event is the brainchild of Mandy Oppy,
whose daughter plays volleyball for the Chieftains. A huge advocate for identifying and correcting hearing problems in children, Oppy is Director of Business for Family Audiology Hearing Centers, 235 Kent St., one of 15 branches across the region.
Her friend, Dr. Paige Parker, works in the Springfield branch and Oppy came to learn that
Dr. Parker’s sister, Jonni, was first fitted with hearing aids at the age of four.
Jonni went on to be a volleyball standout at both Miami East High School and then Penn State University. She was a four-time All-American for the Nittany Lions and received the Big Ten Medal of Honor as a senior for her excellence on and off the court.
So in homage to Jonni’s life-long uniform number(#9, of course) and in order to raise awareness for the diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss, especially in children, Chieftain and Warrior fans alike will be asked to be completely silent for the first nine points of the opening varsity set between the Central Buckeye Conference rivals Saturday. And, yes, Jonni is expected to be on hand cheering the action…but only after the first nine points are scored.
The freshman match has its first serve scheduled for 10 a.m., to be followed by the JV and then the varsity match. Visit the Bellefontaine City Schools Box Office online for ticketing information.
