Volleyball Team Ready to "Dig Pink"

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (Oct. 22, 2009) – The Mount Holyoke College volleyball team has partnered with the Side-Out Foundation to raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer through the "Dig Pink" initiative. "Dig Pink" is a breast cancer awareness rally being held during the month of October across the nation.

"The Side-out Foundation provides a wonderful opportunity for volleyball teams around the country to contribute to a worthy cause through the sport they love,” said Mount Holyoke head coach Sonnie Terrell. “We hope that Mount Holyoke students, along with their friends and families, will join us for some great volleyball and to help us ‘block breast cancer!’”

Approximately 1,000 teams, conference offices and other organizations are taking part in "Dig Pink" during the month of October, which is also the official Breast Cancer Awareness Month of the National Susan G. Komen Foundation. Each year the Side-Out Foundation seeks to make a statement by holding hundreds, potentially thousands, of featured high school and college matches across the country to help educate and raise funds to eradicate the terrible disease. Proceeds will go towards doing something significant and identifiable in the fight against breast cancer.

Members of the Mount Holyoke team will be sporting pink shoelaces and ribbons during their matches at the annual Volleyball Hall of Fame Women’s Invitational this weekend. The 16 team event is slated to take place at Mount Holyoke from Friday through Saturday. During the tournament, donations will be accepted, with all proceeds going to the Side-Out Foundation for breast cancer awareness. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and contribute to research initiatives.

Additionally, the Volleyball Hall of Fame will be raffling off prizes and selling programs, with all proceeds going to the cause. They will also be selling t-shirts over the course of the weekend to commemorate the event. Portions of those proceeds will go to Side-Out, as well.

Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of death for all women and the leading overall cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 20 and 59. In the United States today, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes. Incidence in women has increased from one in 20 in 1960 to one in eight today.

The good news is that mortality rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, with larger decreases in women younger than 50. These decreases are believed to be the result of earlier detection through screening and increased awareness, as well as improved treatment.

"Mount Holyoke College is pleased to join the Side-Out Foundation’s movement and the larger volleyball community across the nation to raise awareness about breast cancer. It is our hope that by joining this effort, we can increase awareness among the women of our community and contribute to continued cancer research and education," said Mount Holyoke Director of Athletics Laurie Priest.

For more information about the "Dig Pink" initiative, please visit Side-Out on the web at www.side-out.org.