
Audrie Hylton (left) and Averie Shepherd won the “dig pink” contest for best fans at Thursday’s Christiansburg-Pulaski volleyball game.
October is “Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” and several are high school volleyball teams are doing their part to bring it to the forefront. Thursday, Christiansburg jump-started the activities with the first “pink night” of the year.
The idea of a “pink night” was started 10 years ago by Rick Dunetz, the volleyball coach at West Springfield High School. His mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time, and his team wanted to share their support for her in the continued battle.
Despite the face his mother passed away a short time later, he saw the effort by his team as a way to encourage others in their own battle, thus the formation of the Sideout Foundation. Since then, hundreds of schools across the country have joined in the effort.
In volleyball, “side-out” means regaining control of the ball. Similarly, the Side-Out Foundation helps people with breast cancer regain control of their lives.
The Foundation says, “it hopes to raise millions of dollars to fund cutting-edge clinical trials at renowned medical institutions. This unique approach is successfully extending the lives of people with stage 4 breast cancer. A portion of the money raised through Side-Out goes to high-quality support services for cancer patients and their families.”
Both Christiansburg and its opponent, Pulaski, wore pink ribbons and shirts this week that read: “No One Fights Alone.” Breast cancer survivors and families of those stricken with the disease were asked to stand, and the announcer reminded them they’re not alone in this fight.
The American Cancer Society points out breast cancer forms a tumor in the tissues of the breasts, typically the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) and lobules (glands that make milk).
The latest statistics show one in eight women in the United State will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. In 2017, an estimated 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 63,410 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.

Those same figures show as of March 2017, there are more than 3.1 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. This includes women currently being treated and women who have finished treatment.
One of the big keys in the Pink Night has been bringing the awareness of breast cancer to the younger aged women who might be on the court and in the stands.
Players listened closely when breast cancer statistics were announced to the crowd.
Christiansburg’s activities included a pink volleyball competition for the public, along with awards for those in attendance wearing the “most pink” color. There was also a raffle for gift bags, you guessed it, filled with pink items. The concession stand sold pink cupcakes and other associated decorated items.
Literature was also handed out to raise the awareness of the disease.
Christiansburg Coach Lisa Dalton said the night is important to her, the team and the community. “The Christiansburg volleyball team continues to host the night each year because we love to see our community come together for a common cause that affects everyone. We hope no one will fight alone. Our community is great and we hope our players will continue to be involved in community events after they graduate,” she said.
The Christiansburg effort raised over $1,000 for the Sideout Foundation. Additional “pink volleyball night” is scheduled for Auburn on October 17 and last night at Radford High School.