Yesterday night, Masuk Volleyball held their annual Dig Pink Cancer awareness game in the Masuk Gym, against Pomperaug. Even though the varsity team was not able to pull out a win, the message they spread amounted to something way more than a victory.
The game raised money for Think Pink Monroe, the organization that aims to promote breast cancer awareness in Monroe while helping local families. Before the game started at around 7pm, Masuk Volleyball presented a $500 donation to Think Pink Monroe.
For Masuk’s teams, the preparation for this breast cancer awareness game happened all throughout the day. They decorated the gym with streamers, posters and balloons, filling the otherwise red gymnasium with an abundance of pink, while putting pink hairspray and ribbons in their own hair to keep the spirit.
Besides the decorations and spirit, a main aspect of the event was the shirts. They were sold to all Masuk students over the past three days of school for twenty dollars, with all proceeds going to Think Pink Monroe.
Junior Samantha Sullivan, an outside hitter on Masuk’s varsity team, explains: “Every year when we do our Dig Pink game, we always sell shirts. People can wear to the game as well as the football game on Friday, and when someone wears one, it shows lots of support for a great cause.”
As for the games themselves, Masuk’s freshman team was the first to beat Pomperaug with a set score of 2-1.
The next game of the night was junior varsity, who started their game at 5:30pm. They also pulled out a victory, winning their game 2-1.
The varsity game, which started at around 7pm, had a nail biter first set. Masuk had the game 24-21 before Pomperaug was able to win three rounds in a row, effectively tying it 24-24. The score rallied all the way up to 27 with Pomperaug taking the win.
However, the loss of the first set did not slow Masuk down. The girls came out strong against their fierce competition and won the second set 25-22.
Unfortunately, the strong Pomperaug team was able to successfully fight back against the 1-1 score. They won the next two sets, taking home the victory 4-1. Set three ended with 20-25 and set four 19-25.
Despite this loss, Masuk played amazing. The team had nine service aces and 25 kills, with the top two hitters being Sophomore Laura Micu who scored eight, and Junior Sammy Sullivan who scored nine.
The top blocks on the team came from Junior Tolu Olatinwo and Sophomore Sophie Gustinis, who had two each.
The girls are ready to fight back after yesterday night’s loss, hoping to beat their next opponent — Bethel, at 6:30pm tomorrow at home.
Masuk Free Press 