SUNY Niagara women’s volleyball is three weeks away from starting its new season, but the team bonding is already strengthening. Instead of primarily building a rapport in their home gym to start the year, the Thunderwolves expanded into participating in an event that gave them a chance to inspire the next generation.
SUNY Niagara volunteered as coaches at the Western New York Girls in Sports program July 27 at the Kaleida Health Performance Center. The program, provided by the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County with support from the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation, gave over 200 girls ages 9 to 12 an opportunity to experience multiple sports and the benefits of teamwork, physical activity, confidence, and perseverance.
Western New York Girls in Sports was founded in 2006 by Mary Wilson, the widow of Buffalo Bills founder and original owner Ralph C. Wilson, to promote sports and fitness to adolescent girls. Another element of the event explored the history and impact of Title IX and the opportunities it has created for women in athletics since the federal civil rights law was passed on June 23, 1972.
“Sports teach girls so much more than how to play a game,” SUNY Niagara Trustee and former Health & Physical Education faculty member and women’s volleyball coach Gail Tylec said. “They teach confidence, resilience, teamwork and the importance of believing in themselves. It is especially rewarding to see our SUNY Niagara volleyball players become role models for these young girls and show them what is possible when you have the opportunity to participate in sports.”
For current SUNY Niagara women’s volleyball members, volunteering as coaches allowed them to pass on the aspects of being an athlete that made them pursue the sport years ago. Trusting teammates and embracing adversity are aspects which go beyond recording a big play, as current Thunderwolves head coach Lindsay Matikosh explained.
“Long after the final match, those lessons became the foundation for a life of purpose, resilience and strength,” Matikosh said. “I couldn’t be prouder of this team, not just for what they accomplish as athletes, but for the positive example they set and the lives they touch along the way. The WNY Girls in Sports program that Gail has been involved with is nothing short of amazing, and we are happy to be a part of a moment that could be the spark that inspires confidence or a lifelong love for the game. We look forward to continuing to volunteer in the future and pave the way for the generations after us.”
Participating from SUNY Niagara women’s volleyball as coaches were sophomores Neveah Hall (Niagara Falls), Samantha Knobloch (Cheektowaga), Ava Roberts (Williamsville North) and Jordan Smith (Akron) and freshmen Kailey Ciesielski (Depew), Belle Christopher (North Tonawanda), Elliana Maziarz (Solid Rock Christian Academy), Audriana Waltz (Solid Rock Christian Academy) and Mya Wills (Niagara Wheatfield).
Founded in 1973, SUNY Niagara women’s volleyball begins its 53rd season against Fulton-Montgomery Community College and Jefferson Community College in a NJCAA pod on August 29 in Watertown. The Thunderwolves’ home opener versus SUNY Erie is 6 p.m. Sept. 10 in Sanborn.