Think pink: Volleyball money goes to breast cancer research

By Ada Zhang
Staff Writer

In October, we wear pink.

Members of the Baylor alpha Kappa Delta Phi sorority are hosting the Dig Pink volleyball tournament from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 26 on the Mclean Student Life Center basketball court.

There will be a costume contest before the tournament begins. In the actual tournament, six teams will play against one another. Prizes will be given to the top three teams.

The tournament is free for spectators and there will be complimentary refreshments and snacks.

Everyone in the Baylor community is invited to this event said Sugar Land junior Alex Bui, aKDPhi internal vice president.

Each team is formed by a different Baylor organization, Bui said. This year’s participants include Delta Epsilon Psi, Lamba Phi Epsilon, Alpha Phi Omega and Delta Kappa Delta. Prizes will be given to the winning teams, Bui said.

Bui said each team had to pay a registration fee to enter the tournament. All the money aKDPhi receives from registration fees will go to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade fund to support breast cancer research.

According to the Avon foundation website, Avon is the leading corporate supporter of breast cancer awareness, diagnosis, education and research across the globe. aKDPhi is an exclusive affiliate of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, according to the aKDPhi website.

Spring senior Alyssa Villanueva, aKDPhi president, said this is actually only the second year aKDPhi has hosted this event, but members of the sorority are trying to create a tradition by hosting Dig Pink every year.

Villanueva said the planning process began before the semester started.

“We’ve been planning this event since the beginning of summer,” Villanueva said. “Right when school ended, we thought about it.”

Various duties were delegated to members to prepare for the tournament and make it a success.

To garner interest in the event, some members had to go to other organizations and speak about the event, Villanueva said.

In order to officiate the tournament, each member also had to learn the logistics of volleyball, Villanueva said, since some members were previously unfamiliar with the sport.

“Each of us had to think of creative ways to make the tournament more fun and entertaining,” Villanueva said.

The creativity component of this year’s tournament takes form in a costume contest that will happen before the tournament begins, Bui said. Villanueva said she thought this would be fun since Halloween is coming up.

Besides hosting this tournament, aKDPhi has been doing other forms of outreach to raise money for Avon.

“Each member was required to go out and find businesses to sponsor us,” Villanueva said.

Businesses from Waco, Austin and Dallas has sponsored aKDPhi with monetary donations, which will all go towards Avon, Villanueva said. Alumni have donated as well, she said.

From the combined efforts of the 48 aKDPhi chapters across the U.S and in Canada, the sorority has raised $13,000 as of Tuesday, Villanueva said.

Bui and Villanueva said students should watch the tournament because it supports a good cause.

“It’s not just volleyball- you learn about breast cancer awareness while you’re there and what our sorority does to help the cause,” Villanueva said.