Essex, Missouri – In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October is filled with Dig Pink volleyball games, where all the athletes trade their normal attire for everything pink. Richland recently had their Dig Pink game on Monday night, October 7th against the Charleston Blue Jays. It was an exciting game for both JV and Varsity and the stands were packed with supporting fans from both teams.
Dig Pink games are a great way to raise money for local people in our community that are battling cancer. Although it is a physical and emotional battle for these people and their families, it is also a financial battle, which is why the volleyball team worked hard to raise money for this special occasion. The team sold Dig Pink t-shirts and donated the profit to the Ben Kruze 18 Fore Life Foundation. In honor of this special night, they wore pink jerseys, bows, and shoelaces for their game.
Although it is a Dig Pink game in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the athletes and students did their part to support awareness for multiple kinds of cancers. Each player created a jersey to hang on the wall that supported the awareness of Hodgkins Lymphoma, Stomach Cancer, Breast Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, and Leukemia. Different colored ribbons were hung all over the gym for this special night. The students and teammates made multiple signs to hang around the gymnasium to show their support to all of the fighters in our community.
Students also got the opportunity to recognize family members or friends that fought the battle against cancer by paying $1 to hang up a volleyball made with pink paper with their name on it. The walls of the high school hallways were covered in volleyballs and hundreds of names to those who are being remembered, recognized, or honored.
During the first game, Richland began to pull ahead and use their stronger defensive players, including junior Regan Manes. Although the Lady Blue Jays put up a fight against the Lady Rebels, the team, coaches, and fans were ecstatic when they won the first game against their opponents. Although it was a very close call, the Rebels made it out with their first win of the night with a score of 25 to 16.
JV led the fight after putting up the first exciting game of the night. Richland and the Blue Jays had a tough battle against each other, but the Blue Jays eventually stole the lead and pulled ahead, winning with a six point gap with a score of 25 to 19.
Their third game was another close call, the home team stole the lead from the Lady Blue Jays and Richland’s JV team took the last win, winning two out of the three games with a score of 25 to 18.
The JV team really set the stage for the varsity with their close and exciting games. The Varsity Lady Blue Jays took the court and took the lead right from the start. The Lady Rebels barely trailed right behind them, but the visiting team eventually took the first win of the varsity set with a score of 25 to 15.
The second game was another exciting game because the Lady Rebels pulled ahead of the visiting team. Hitter and senior Mackenzie Williams had multiple points throughout the night, along with senior Kat Rofkahr. The players did an excellent job and it was by far the best game of the night as they beat their opponents and moved into a third game with a score of 25 to 23.
The last game was the most anticipated game of the night and by far the most exciting. It was make it or break it for both teams, just like it was for JV. Charleston played hard and stole the lead from the home team and ended the night with a win for the Varsity Lady Blue Jays with a score of 25 to 21. The Rebels put up a good fight but even with their loss, they were proud of all the hard work that was put into Dig Pink so that it was a fun and successful night for everyone who participated.
