On Oct 11, the volleyball program hosted its annual Dig Pink game to boost awareness about breast cancer and raise money for the Side-Out Foundation, a non-profit breast cancer organization. The team raised an astounding $8,400.
The gym transformed into a sea of pink with decorations put up by the team and posters with each player’s name and jersey number plastered on the wall. The bleachers flooded with students and parents repping their Dig Pink shirts designed and sold by the team while anxiously waiting to see if their name would get chosen for the famous raffle prizes the players and their families put together.
In an eventual sweep by St. Agnes, the players recognized this season’s struggle. Junior Madelyn Moser claimed the loss of leadership on the court due to intense ACL injuries, which captains Nadia Degnan and Natalie Vogenthaler sustained, threw off the team’s morale.
“The severity of the injuries was gut-wrenching for the team to witness,” Moser said.
Moser and Freshman Murphy Miltner commemorated the last-standing captain, Eliana Mann, for boosting team spirit by stepping up during the game where two out of three captains, Natalie Vogenthaler and Nadia Degnan, were injured.
“We are a resilient team that tries our hardest to overcome challenges by keeping our energy up, having fun, and playing our hardest for all of our seniors,” Moser said.
Looking back on the game, Moser recalls feeling intimidated by the student section spilling out onto the court. The immense support for Dig Pink is unique to volleyball.
“Having a big crowd to support the team and breast cancer research is an opportunity I don’t get to have in any other sport I play,” Moser said.
Miltner was proud to showcase the team to the student section. Playing in front of an audience fuels her to perform better, which was evident with her lightning-fast serves: “When I got my first kill for the first point of the game, I could hear everyone cheering for me,” Miltner said.
Although the team succumbed to their opponents losing three straight sets, Miltner explained why the players celebrated each point.
“Some people don’t understand why we celebrate after every point, but it is 1/25th of the way to winning, and it helps a lot with staying ahead to celebrate big,” she said.
