Leslie Warnke

Thirty-five teams, mostly consisting of SDSU students, participated in the 17th annual Oozeball tournament Saturday.

“It’s the only fundraiser we do,” secretary of Staters for State Amy Finnegan said.

Each team’s registration fee of $40 goes to help fund student and alumni appreciation projects put on by the organization, Finnegan said.

The tournament is usually scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. but had to be moved to noon Saturday because of weather conditions.

“We’ve had to cancel before because of snow, so [moving the time] is better than cancelling,” Finnegan said.

Despite the chilly temperatures, over 200 students gathered at the courts behind Hansen Hall for a day of very muddy volleyball.

“My friends made me do it,” sophomore Marty Konechne of the Oinkers team said. “We signed up, like five minutes before it was due.”

The tournament was played double-elimination style, so teams who lost their first game had the opportunity to play again. When not playing, players were encouraged to take advantage of the free food available. Coca-Cola donated the beverages while Papa John’s donated 75 pizzas for the event.

“This is great fun. I didn’t expect to win our first two games,” sophomore Sarah Heim, also of the Oinkers, said.

“This wind sucks, but I’m having a blast!” Konechne said.

Konechne, dressed in a wrestling singlet, said his team had been sitting behind the portable toilets all day in an attempt to keep warm.

Besides the mud volleyball tournament, Staters for State sponsored a costume contest among the teams. The organization took photos of every team after they played a game. The winners of the costume contest will receive SDSU ice cream.

“The best part of the day was getting dressed up in nerdy outfits and seeing two of my teammates in wrestling singlets,” Heim said.

The Sigma Epsilon team came out on top when the day was over, receiving “This Mud’s for You” towels as their prize. Tell Your Mom I Say Thanks were the runners-up. Those who ordered “This Mud’s for You” t-shirts may pick them up Wednesday at the Alumni Center.

Winners of the costume contest will be notified this week. Their prizes may also be claimed at the Alumni Center.

#1.885065:1173832796.jpg:oozeball05_ty.jpg:More than 200 students participated in the mud volleyball tournament on Saturday.: