In volleyball, to “side-out” means to regain control of the ball. Since the charity’s founding in 2005, The Side-Out Foundation has helped people with metastatic breast cancer regain control of their lives. They have flipped the traditional definition of a non-profit by recruiting researchers to operate their very own research.

Dig Pink is the name of these events that raise funds to directly support The Side-Out Foundation’s research program and spread their mission.

Worldwide, the foundation raises approximately $1.5 million annually. Hundreds of middle schools, high schools, and colleges participate, and in this fall sports season at JC, boys and girls volleyball added to that number.

On October 15, the girls volleyball program had their Dig Pink match against Roland Park Country School. The gym was beautifully decorated with pink streamers, posters, and had Dig Pink ambassadors selling pink JC attire.

Varsity and junior varsity players wore pink accessories and pink spandex. As varsity’s second to last regular season game prior to playoffs, there was a lot of pressure to win. Thankfully, they celebrated a win over the Reds 3-1.

On October 16, the boys volleyball program competed in their Dig Pink match, took on Archbishop Curley High School. In a competitive battle, the varsity boys went to five sets. Scoring 15-12 in the final set, the Patriots took the win 3-2.

Head Coach Jordan Smith commented, “I thought the event went great overall. Both teams did an amazing job representing John Carroll for the Dig Pink Association. Our team moms did an amazing job running the event; it would not have happened without them.”

Both the girls and boys teams sported Dig Pink warm-up t-shirts and cheered for each other as teams to show their spirit. In total, over $3,000 was raised between both teams.

As this event ended and money was raised, the teams and coaches now have a new favorite tradition to look forward to: Dig Pink volleyball matches.