On Wednesday, Nov. 3, Kingswood Oxford’s varsity volleyball team (KOVB) hosted their annual Dig Pink match versus Loomis Chaffee.
Dig Pink is a nationwide event in collaboration with the Side Out Foundation, which raises money for breast cancer research and celebrates volleyball. Historically, varsity volleyball’s Dig Pink match has been held in October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but this year, due to the team’s lack of home matches in October, the Dig Pink match was hosted in November.
In order to get into the spirit of the event, the team decorated Hewett Gym with pink streamers and posters. They started a fundraising site through the Side Out Foundation that fans could donate to, and, with help from Interim Athletic Director Josh Balabuch, the match was pushed to 6:00 p.m. in order to allow for more students to come support.
KOVB was well aware that Loomis would be a challenging opponent. “We went into it with the attitude that we had nothing to lose because we were such underdogs,” junior Co-captain Keira Sullivan said. “I think that mindset really benefited us in the end because we didn’t hold back at all on the court.”
Physically, the team worked hard at practices leading up to the match, aiming to improve in the areas where they were weaker and Loomis was stronger. “We practiced hard for the whole week before and we really focused on practicing digging up hard hit balls and good offensive serving,” senior Co-captain Mackenzie Caruso said.
Despite all their hard work, Loomis Chaffee kept their undefeated streak at the end of the match. The Wyverns were able to take the first set, a huge accomplishment as Loomis had lost only two sets prior to the Dig Pink match. “I think we played our best volleyball that we’ve played all season in that first set,” Sullivan said.
The sheer amount of fans at the games also helped the team succeed in the first set, as the fan turnout was the largest they had had all season. “It was just a really great environment to play in, and I had a lot of fun especially because it was a night game and we got a lot of school support,” Caruso said.
Despite the fact that the team did not walk away with the win, the game was still considered a success from their perspective. The match had an impressive student turnout and both the fans and players had a great time at the game.
Additionally, the Wyverns played an excellent game of volleyball both physically and mentally. “We knew it was gonna be tough, but we didn’t get down on ourselves,” Caruso said. “Even though we were down sometimes and it wasn’t an easy match, we really fought hard until the very end, we didn’t give up on any of the points, and we really believed in ourselves.”
Even though KO Volleyball did not get the win for their Dig Pink Match, the overall event was a success and the team hopes to end their season strong.
