Oct. 2, 2015
By Anita Nham, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" As the top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team continues its Big Ten conference battle over the weekend against No. 4 Nebraska and Iowa, the matchup against Iowa on Saturday evening will embody and represent something bigger than a regular match.
On Saturday, Penn State and the Side-Out Foundation will host its annual "Dig Pink" match for the eighth consecutive year.
"The 'Dig Pink' match is always so important," said junior Taylor Krause. "It's a great cause, and it's awesome that we get to play for such an amazing organization."
In volleyball, 'side-out' means a team is regaining control of the ball. Established in 2004, the Side-Out Foundation is a support and advocacy organization that is dedicated to helping people with breast cancer regain control of their lives. The Side-Out Foundation unites volleyball players and coaches to have them work toward the common goal of furthering breast cancer awareness, education and patient services.
"It's a great cause," said head coach Russ Rose. "The organization that runs it is a national organization, and breast cancer is a challenge that affects a lot of people. It's certainly great that in women sports, we can take the opportunity to try and generate some revenue that goes toward either the research or providing treatment for people that are inflicted with cancer."
The Side-Out Foundation has raised millions of dollars that goes towards high-quality support services for cancer patients and their families, scholarships for young students to encourage them to continue achieving their goals, as well as, funding for the development of treatments for breast cancer patients so they are another day closer to finding a cure.
"It really hits home," said Krause. "It makes you think about how lucky you are to be where you are and how great of a university it is that we can have all this support for such a great cause throughout this entire campus."
Pink shakers will be provided for everyone attending the match, and fans are encouraged to wear pink on Saturday evening. The women's volleyball team will also be hosting a silent auction featuring game-worn pink warmup T-shirts where proceeds will go directly toward Penn State's "Dig Pink" profile. Last year, Penn State generated nearly $4,000, the highest amount raised since the event began. This year's goal is set for $4,500.
"Honesty, I think all of us here, at least the girls, like seeing the pink, in general, but it's cool to see something that people can get behind," said junior Laura Broerman. "It's cool that people get behind us as a team and want to support, but it's cool to see people getting behind something bigger than us."
Last season, Penn State defeated Iowa in straight sets, but the team is aware that last year's performance means nothing for this season.
"The Big Ten season is an incredible test every time, so I'm sure we'll be tested again this weekend with Nebraska and Iowa," said coach Rose. "Iowa is also a very much improved team from last year. There's never an easy match in the conference. I think if you asked any of the coaches in all the other sports, they're all going to say the same thing. You might be in favored to win, but that doesn't mean you are susceptible to getting beat by anybody you play."