By Isabel Costian

The fourteen volleyball players stood to the national anthem just like the beginning of every other game. But on Tuesday night, they could not help but think of their friends and family who were lost to breast cancer and those who are still fighting it.

The volleyball teams played Horn on Tuesday night to raise money for the Side-Out Foundation, a breast cancer research organization. The fundraiser, Dig Pink, received donations for each dig by the team.

“It’s a way for the girls to think about something else besides themselves,” jv coach Krissy Baker said. “Sometimes, we get stuck in this environment where we think that what we’re doing at the moment is the most important thing, but we can’t forget that there’s a lot of bigger stuff out there.”

All players have been collecting donations on their own in the community and around the school. Some said they set personal goals for themselves and focus on getting more donations every year.

“I want to go out and have a good time and raise a lot of money,” junior Chelsea Roemer, a varsity player, said. “It’s a great way for high schools and colleges to raise money for a good cause.”

The school was recognized in 2013 for raising monumental funds for Dig Pink, resulting in an official resolution by the Texas House of Representatives. Richardson also became the nation’s first high school to be presented with a Dig Pink banner from the Side-Out Foundation.

“I think that the banner’s a pretty big honor, because we do try to go all out for Dig Pink,” junior Sydney Nobles, a varsity player, said. “We just want to get as many passes as we can, because it’ll raise more money for the Side-Out Foundation.”

The Side-Out Foundation was founded by a volleyball coach whose family was affected by breast cancer. Dig Pink is one of their fundraising campaigns that the school has been participating in since 2010.

Since then, the teams, under the direction of Baker, have raised over $12,000.

“I’m thankful to have someone on staff who is passionate about causes like this,” Varsity Head Coach Eric Miracle said. “I’m just really proud.”

Baker’s mother-in-law lost the battle against breast cancer when Baker’s husband was still in high school.

“It was really tough for him,” Baker said. “Something like that can have such a big impact on a family, no matter what age you are when it happens.”

The volleyball coach Miracle used to work for now has stage four breast cancer. Although it has metastasized, Miracle said he still has hope.

“She’s doing well, but we’re hoping that we can find something in time,” Miracle said. “I’ll be thinking about her tonight.”

The players are also familiar with the disease. A varsity player, junior Hannah Gooch, had a best friend whose mother battled breast cancer.

“It was hard to see somebody’s kid be affected by something they don’t have,” Gooch said. “I just really want to play my heart out tonight because this month is really important for everybody.”

Another varsity player, junior Anna Scholten, had a close family friend who survived the disease.

“It was a struggle,” Scholten said. “We were over there almost every day, and my family helped her out a lot. It’s a huge blessing that she made it through.”

Junior Madison Stengel, a varsity player, has an aunt who fought the battle and won and now spends her time helping cancer patients.

“It’s kind of interesting to hear her story after her survival,” Stengel said. “She helps out with cancer patients and motivates them through everything.”

Many in the crowd said they loved the game despite the varsity loss against Horn. Most people said they donated. Sophomore Batiel Habte, who was watching the game, said she donated a dollar to show her support.

“I enjoyed watching all of the action,” Habte said. “It’s so intense – it got me hyped.”

The team said they really enjoyed playing the game, especially because of their close-knit relationships.

“The girls are amazing,” Stengel said. “I’ve never been surrounded by so many great girls and so many great friends.”

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