BerAs October draws to a close, the fall sports season is coming to an end; the varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams have had a particularly exciting season this year. One notable highlight was when Laura Weatherford, a senior on the varsity team, achieved 1,500 total digs in her time playing volleyball for the school.

The restrictions caused by the pandemic have lightened this year, making it much easier to participate in sports. Setter for the JV team, Natasha Machnizh, said, “The pandemic in relation to sports has gotten much better, and even though Covid still affects certain areas, it has been much easier to play compared to last year, when it was mandatory to play in masks and we had to social distance from other players.” These changes will probably be reflected by sports in the coming seasons as well, especially as vaccination rates increase and the world actively responds to the pandemic. 

When asked if she feels volleyball gets enough support from the school, Machnizh answered, “I feel as though, the JV team especially, hasn’t received as much support as they could be. The school will only advertise varsity games, but we are extremely grateful for the turnout at Dig Pink.” On Instagram especially, Cooper does seem to invest more in their varsity teams, for any sport. However, Machnizh expresses how great it has been to be on the team. “I love the friendships I have made and the overall support I feel from the coaches, especially when I was injured and couldn’t play for a week.” 

The competition against Duchesne’s volleyball teams in this year’s Dig Pink games is definitely worth mentioning. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, John Cooper partners with the Side-Out Foundation, an organization that actively funds research towards developing treatments for metastatic breast cancer. This year, Cooper partnered with corporations such as MOD Pizza and Chiller Bee, collectively raising over $78,000 to donate towards the cause. According to current statistics from the World Health Organization, breast cancer has become the most frequently diagnosed cancer on a global scale as of the beginning of this year. It’s important to recognize how significant the school’s contributions have been over the years through these volleyball matches. Junior varsity ended their Dig Pink game with a score of 1-2, while varsity won 3-0.