Varsity Volleyball "Digs Pink"
on Senior Night
Varsity Volleyball before their Dig Pink Game on Senior Night, October 9th. (from left) Nicole G., '19, Audrey T., '22, Lauren B., '19, Sarah W., '20, Krystal R., '20, Abby Y., '20, Kathleen C., '21, Hayden W., '19, Dalia R., '19, Julia C., '20, Ronni H., 19
By Ronni H. & Jackie Y.
November 1, 2018
Above the stands in Hoffman Gymnasium were the words “Dig Pink,” spelled out in breast cancer ribbons promoting the communal effort to raise money for breast cancer research. Below the pink phrase, a sea of students, faculty, fans, and rivals cheered on the Varsity volleyball seniors during their last home game of the season.
Westridge Volleyball decided to partake in the annual game called “Dig Pink” that occurs in many high schools and colleges around the country during October, Breast Cancer Awareness month. All the money raised during the games goes to the Side-Out Foundation, a non-profit organization that devotes its time to raising money through volleyball for research to combat stage 4 breast cancer.
The seniors’ last home game made Westridge’s match on October 9th extra special. Senior night is the athletic team’s final home game of the season, so the large crowd was there in support of Dig Pink, the Mayfield match, and the seniors. The varsity girls couldn’t have imagined a better way to commemorate their final game than coupling it with the eventful Dig Pink game.
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“Dig pink differs from other games because it’s a fundraiser, and it usually attracts more people to our games, which means we have a bigger crowd and it’s more exciting,” said Abby Yuhan ’20, the setter for the Varsity team. “We dedicated our game to raising money for Dig Pink, which means that a lot of preparation went into the game that we don’t usually have to do for normal games, but it made it really fun and allowed all of us to bond before our last game.”
And prepare they did. The whole team spent many hours the day before the game cutting pink paper, stapling them into breast cancer ribbons, making signs, and preparing mentally before the big game. On the day of the match, the team spent their lunch and the entire afternoon decorating the gym, hanging streamers, and to the seniors’ surprise, the underclassmen created five individual posters for each senior.
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“The whole event shows the girls on varsity wanting to support something that really needs it: raising money for breast cancer research, a horrible disease that affects way too many women and men,” said Melanie Horn, Director of Athletics. “Any effort to help offset that, to me, is time well spent.”
After dressing in the pink jerseys specifically designed for this game, the Varsity Tigers were ready. Pink buckets were passed through the stands for donations, raffles were held with prizes that the Varsity team sponsored, and Takuma’s Burger Truck was keeping the crowd energized throughout the game.
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Abby Y., '20, the setter on Varsity celebrating after winning a rally to gain a point.
Kathleen C., '21, preparing for a serve.
By the end of the night, the event had raised almost $700. The Tigers, although defeated in three well-fought matches (10-25, 25-27, 14-25), accomplished a more fulfilling goal of playing well at their last home game and raising money for an organization whose impact will have lasting effects beyond the Westridge gym. Although a bittersweet night, the Tiger Spirit doesn’t stop there. Westridge and the Side-Out Foundation are still accepting donations, and encourage you to donate.
Krystal R., '20, serving.