Pink With A Purpose: Priory Volleyball Team Raises Awareness Through Charity Match

By Natalie Neumann and Jacob Levin

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This season, Priory's women’s volleyball team used their platform to bring attention to Maui fires and breast cancer during their home games. 

For over a decade, the volleyball team has been running an annual “Dig Pink” match to increase visibility on breast cancer. 

Junior and varsity volleyball player Crystal Galvan Drew highlights how personal experience has helped her understand this unrelenting disease on a deeper level. 

“My mom had cancer,” Galvan Drew said, “...and seeing her go through that definitely helped me open my eyes and be like, oh this is actually a serious problem.” 

Galvan Drew emphasized the importance of spreading awareness about the severity of breast cancer. 

“I think it’s [raising awareness] important because some people just aren’t aware of these things and they just don’t think about it in their daily lives,” Galvan Drew said. “And I think it’s important for others to know because it is a serious problem that does kill people and affect people’s families.”

According to Head Coach Rick Riebhoff, this year’s “Dig Pink” match was emotional yet special and promoted the importance of breast cancer treatments.

“I think we have all been impacted by cancer,” Riebhoff said. “We have all suffered loss or struggled through scares. While there is no cure, yet, the effects can be decreased with early detection and treatment.” 

Riebhoff elaborated on how breast cancer continues to impact countless families. 

“Both teams had just recently lost a parent or loved one to cancer,” Riebhoff said. “Breast cancer, in particular, is one of the most common types and, although men can get it, it is far more common in women … [it] affects the people we love the most, our moms, aunts, sisters and friends.”

ACE IT UP: Sophomore Siena Ebid tosses up the ball for a serve at Priory’s annual “Dig Pink” match. Photo by Richard Cheng.

A week prior to the “Dig Pink” match, the team hosted a fundraiser for Lahainaluna High School to provide funds for Volleyball equipment and gear. 

Galvan Drew shared that bringing awareness through competition has helped her learn about various relevant problems. 

“I’m learning that there’s just so many of them [issues] out there,” Galvan Drew said. “The Maui one was something that was very specific and we did that specifically because Mr. Riebhoff went to Hawaii beforehand, but there’s just some [issues] that we’re just not aware about.”

Sophomore and varsity volleyball player Siena Ebid, views education for different issues as a way to promote Priory’s core values. 

“I think [raising awareness] builds community within the team itself,” Ebid said. “One of the main things that Priory…lives by with their students and staff is we’re one community.” 

Ebid has found that learning about these issues has helped her appreciate everything she has. 

“Specifically for the Dig Maui game, we learned a lot just honestly … [about] the bubble that Priory kids get to live in, regardless of [if] you’re an international dormer, if you live here, you live on the other side of the bay, we’re all super privileged to have what we have.”

Ebid hopes people continue to come and support the team and their cause, now and in the future.

“It’s always nice seeing students and parents come out and if they're able to donate they donate and if not they're just there to post about it and support the cause,” Ebid said. “And so it’s always fun for us, but it’s also good that we’re doing something for other communities around us.”