Last Thursday night, Fallston’s girls’ volleyball team had their second annual pink out game donating to the Side Out Foundation, spreading awareness and raising money for breast cancer. Side Out Foundation is a nationwide program started by Jeff and Patty Hurwitz, after dealing with cancer themselves. All the money raised during the game goes towards patients with stage four breast cancer.
“Last year [Fallston] donated $3,800, so that’s almost two patients but not quite. This year we will be donating over $8,000,” said Heather Lindhorst, junior player Kay Lindhorst’s mother and chair of the event.
With this cause in mind, the student section and the parents were covered head to toe in pink showing their support. After the national anthem and a speech about the importance of the foundation, the game started.
Fallston faced Rising Sun in a highly anticipated game ending in a 3-0 win for Fallston.
During the first set the crowd was constantly going back and forth as the two teams faced off with impressive rallies. Rising Sun had some amazing hits, but it was all over when the ball was turned over and Emma Chasen went up to serve. Emma helped Fallston win six points in a row, making the score 23-13. Shortly after, Fallston won the first set with a score of 25-14.
The second set started off slow until Senior Captain Kyra Douglass served the ball, giving Fallston four points and an early lead of 7-3. The lead did not stop there. Fallston was on a hot streak winning 15-5 and before you knew it, the Cougars won the second set with a 25-13 score.
Everything changed with the third set. Fallston started by winning the first point, giving the Cougars a promising start, but soon after, Fallston was down 12-16. It all changed when Kyra hit the ball over the net, giving Fallston the point and the ball. Serving for the next point, Mary Pfaff served until tying the score 16-16 getting the Cougars back on track.
From then on, the score never got beyond a two-point lead, making every pass and mistake mean a win or loss. Near the end the score went from being tied 21-21 to 22-22 and finally tied 23-23. Kyra made a hit right above the net and after some deliberation the point was given to Fallston. Now one point away from winning, senior Claire Musser served the final point with both Rising Sun and Fallston on edge. Time froze as the ball hit the back corner of the court; the line judge pointed the flag towards the court showing that it was in fact an ace, and the crowd instantly erupted. Fallston won the third set, 25-23.
Kyra Douglass had eight digs and senior Grace Pfaff had 18 digs and two assists. Junior Sam Ruth helped with 19 assists and Mary Pfaff had six kills.
This game was a team effort with amazing crowd support, bright pink decorations filling the court, and even if the players said it wasn’t their best, it was a game worth watching. What an incredible outcome for the Cougars, raising over $8,000 to fight against breast cancer and winning three straight sets. Way to go, Fallston!
