The stands were filled with all colors of pink as the Penn State
Mont Alto Women's Volleyball team hosted Penn State York on
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 for their Dig Pink National Breast Cancer
Awareness Rally. All of the proceeds from donations benefited
the Side-Out Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) organization located
in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Funds are currently
devoted to targeted therapies and molecular profiling where there
have been breakthroughs in diagnostics and treatment.
Side-Out also devotes a portion of the funds to local and national
"Life with Cancer" support organizations.
Mont Alto and York teamed up to raise money for the cause and
together raised over $4,000. Penn State Mont Alto brought in
$2,904 and York had $1,314. Coach Drue Hoffman was really
proud of the team. "It was great to see that the ladies were
able to split their time between studies, practice, and matches to
make such an effort for this cause," he said. Each team
had a goal of $1,000 and they were very proud to have exceeded
their goals by so much.
The event included t-shirt sales, raffles, a silent auction, and
sales of flowers and cookbooks. "It was great to see
the students and community come together to support the fight
against breast cancer. We are all very excited to be able help make
a difference," explained Ashley Jacobs, associate director of
athletics at Penn State Mont Alto.
Both Mont Alto and York wore Dig Pink jerseys to show their
support. The Mont Alto ladies rolled over their division
rival (25-17, 25-20, 25-21) to remain unbeaten in the PSUAC South
Division, and they remain only one match back of conference leader
PSU Fayette. "After a long delay between set 2 and 3, as some
Dig Pink raffles were announced and fans served to win prizes, Mont
Alto found themselves down a dark hole at 2-9 before they began to
rally the cause, the crowd, and the brass section to their support.
With all cylinders firing, the team ignited the fans on several
huge kills by Lora Wenger and Sara Replogle, and Celena Woodal
recharged the defense. Trailing all the way until 19-19, the team
then took charge and put Penn State York on their heels as they
rolled on to a 25-21 victory in set three," Coach Drue
Hoffman commented.
It was a bittersweet game for some of the Mont Alto players because
it was the last home game this season. Five members of the
team will not be dressing in Penn State blue and white again in
Mont Alto's gym. The team is now focusing on getting to the
PSUAC and the USCAA championships. "The ladies now face
the grueling two-week down time as they prepare for the PSUAC
finals in State College on Saturday, October 31, and Sunday,
November 1. They will undoubtedly face the only team to hand them a
conference loss this year and they are looking to take a step up
and dethrone Fayette, the two-time defending champions. The ladies
will be tested as they need to remain focused and intent on their
goals. "We are on the verge of planning our first trip to the
National Tournament in Louisville, KY on November 5, 6, & 7 as
we continue to remain steadily in the top 10 of the USCAA national
rankings," explained Coach Hoffman.
Thank you to the sponsors for making this event possible!
Sponsors
Stouffer Mechanical Contractor, Jeff Fisher Insurance Agency Inc.,
Tri-State Community Health Center, Four Seasons Crop Care Inc., Dr.
Madeira Eshbaugh Chiropractic, Liberty Mountain, Fox Hole
Firearms
Item Donors
L.A. Cameras, Waynesboro YMCA, Quiznos of Waynesboro, Gold's
Gym of Waynesboro, Gracie's Place, Arturo's Pizzeria,
Frank's Pizza, B&H Lawn and Floral, Twin Kiss
For more information
www.side-out.org
https://www.side-out.org/application/teams/team_page/1563