VERONICA ECKART
STAFF WRITER
This Saturday, Sept. 8, Franciscan University of Steubenville’s women’s volleyball hosted eight college and high school teams for their annual Dig Pink fundraising tournament to raise money for cancer research and treatment.
La Roche, Geneva, and Oberlin Colleges attended the event, and they were joined by local Steubenville, Edison, Brooke, Beaver Area and Catholic Central High Schools. The college teams faced off in four exciting matches played two at a time, and the high school teams bookended these games with matches of their own. All of the money raised from the event went directly to one of two organizations: the Side-Out Foundation and the Tony Teramana Cancer Center’s TEAR Fund.
The Side Out Foundation created the nationwide Dig Pink breast cancer awareness events, which use the influence of athletics such as the Lady Barons’ volleyball program to raise money to fund cancer research.
According to Head Coach Kelly Herrmann, Dig Pink is a great opportunity for the Franciscan community to serve those suffering from cancer. “The culture of sports can be really narcissistic, and I think it is really important for our student athletes to look outside themselves and to want to serve others and the local community,” said Herrmann. “This is a super fun event, but it is a great way that we can help.”
The Dig Pink event also benefited the Tony Teramana Cancer Center through the TEAR Fund. This center provides crucial care for cancer patients and works to meet the needs of those suffering from cancer with compassion and dignity.
Unfortunately, the Lady Barons fought hard but lost both matches against Oberlin and Geneva 3-0. “We have to learn from some things we did today,” reflected Hermann after the game. “When you make mistakes, the only bad mistake you can make is one that you don’t learn from.”
Senior captain Maria Ciola led the way with 10 kills over the course of the two games. Maria Bosco, Mary Kate Bodien, and Becky Murgia also put up some solid numbers during the course of the tournament, accumulating 14 kills between the three of them. Freshman Emma Birong also continues to show promise as she tallied two kills in the first game and three in the second.
Despite losing their matches, the Lady Barons’ Dig Pink event succeeded in its ultimate goal of raising funds for cancer research and treatment, and they look forward to their next home game on Monday, Sept. 24 against Bethany College at 7 p.m.