The girls varsity volleyball team raised over $1,100 for the Side-Out Foundation in their breast cancer awareness game on October 13, winning in a 3-0 sweep over Islip for their Dig Pink game.

The girls wanted to host a Dig Pink game in honor of breast cancer awareness month being in October. Dig Pink is a tradition that is carried on by many volleyball teams after it was established in 2004 by West Springfield High School girls volleyball coach Rick Dunetz, after his mother, Gloria Dunetz, was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer.

Coach Eric of WHBHS says the girls season so far “has been good, it’s been full of growth, our players have bonded strongly and show up to practice every day with great attitudes and work ethics to drive toward our goal. I’ve had an incredible time coaching this team.” Junior captain Shannon Sweet thinks the team “played really well throughout the whole game. We stayed energized and kept our heads up and didn’t get frustrated, especially when we were trying new things like a switch or stack.”

The gym was very decorated with every shade of pink the girls could find. Senior captain Haley Waszkelewicz says, “We prepared all our posters and supplies throughout the week leading up and then as a team we were able to get everything done in about 30-40 minutes.” With the girls’ hard work, they raised over $1,100, which was more than double they raised for their dig gold game!

If the girls will be doing a dig pink game in the future, Coach Eric Ferrante said, “I hope so, we definitely fundraised more than we had experienced thanks to very generous supporters from both our own school and Islip. I think if we continue to run this program along with our dig gold we can fundraise for good charities throughout the season.” The girls are looking forward to carrying on this tradition for many years on. For more information on The Side-Out Foundation go to https://side-out.org/.