Girls Volleyball Goes Pink

By MACKENZIE SETTON

Girls varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams recently held their annual breast cancer awareness and fundraising activities.

“We have been doing breast cancer awareness for at least six years,” said girls varsity volleyball coach Mr. Herbert. “What we do is the girls wear something pink at every single game. We also play volleyball with pink volleyballs, and we do bake sales for fundraisers and donate it to different causes that are for breast cancer awareness,” he added.

Charity events hosted by the girls volleyball program were started by previous varsity volleyball coach Lauren Rakita, who decided it would be special to begin hosting breast cancer awareness events during the month of October, Mr. Herbert explained.

During the annual fundraiser game, the junior varsity team controlled the court and earned a home game win with a score of 3-0 against Glen Cove. “We dominated and beat them in three sets, so it was pretty great. They played like a team for their last game and for a great cause, so I’m very proud of them,” said junior varsity coach Ms. D’Antonio. The players were extremely excited with the results of their meaningful game as well. “It was great to be able to spread awareness and raise money for breast cancer,” freshman team member Reesa L. said. “It was the perfect way to end the season,” she added. Likewise, fans were highly impacted by the event. “I think the cause was extremely important because we got to enjoy both the [baked] goods, the game, and be reminded throughout with all the pink ornaments,” said freshman Rebecca C.

Freshman Reesa L. warms up for the annual breast cancer research fundraising game. “We were not only playing for ourselves or for Jericho that day, but for everyone who has breast cancer and all the people and families fighting to find a cure,” she said.

Unfortunately, the varsity team didn’t have such luck, though they played a heartfelt game. The girls fought hard but sadly couldn’t pull out a win. “It was an intense game, but we lost,” said senior team member Sabrina B. The team lost their home game to Roosevelt, but that didn’t affect their opinions towards the event. “It [the cause] gave us more of a reason to play,” Sabrina added. Spectators had similar opinions. “I thought it was for a great cause, and it was fantastic. It was very well put together,” said senior Luke J.

To add to the triumph of the events, fundraising was very successful. Both teams hosted bake sales before their games in order to raise money. “Between the varsity and JV programs, we raised about 265 dollars, so I think that’s pretty good for an after school fundraiser,” said coach D’Antonio. In the past, the team has avidly donated to the Susan G. Komen organization. However, Ms. D’Antonio recently lost a very close friend of hers to breast cancer, so the money was distributed differently this year. “The money that we raised this year is actually going to go towards her scholarship fund for athletes. And so for me this was a really important year because it touched close to home, and I was really proud of the girls for setting it all up,” said Ms. D’Antonio.

The volleyball program hopes to continue to participate in breast cancer awareness events in the future. “This was an opportunity that the players put together. They were the ones who made the posters, they wanted to do it, and I think it came out beautifully and we raised money for a great cause,” Ms. D’Antonio said.

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