Pink was the theme as CSUSM’s women’s volleyball team participated in Dig for the Cure on Oct. 17, a match that honored those who have had or are fighting against breast cancer.

The battle against cancer hits home for players Brooke Butler and Morgan Willis.

Willis’ mom and Butler’s grandmother, both breast cancer survivors, were honored at the game for their inspirational fight and their unwavering support for the women’s volleyball team.

The game held special significance for Butler. “This game meant a lot…I was playing for [my grandma] because I saw firsthand what breast cancer does to somebody,” said the outside hitter.

Despite the energy going into the game, the Cougars were unable to draw from the emotional nature of the cause to find a win.

In the first set, the back and forth nature ensured neither Chico and San Marcos were able to stay in control for long. The score was tied 10 different times and the lead changed twice.

As the score hovered at 8-15, defensive specialist Ashley Kaylor’s ace startled the opponents. Middle blocker Faith Fortune and outside hitter Jordan Banich capitalized on this shift and teamed up to shut down a spike.

After the longest rally of the game, Fortune and Banich connected again for another block, moving the Cougars along to 10-15.

Kaylor went in for the dig and was not able to make the save. As quickly as CSUSM gained momentum, they lost it.

Even after a spike from Sam Huang later in the set brought the score to 19-16, CSUSM was unable to hold on. They lost the set 24-26.

Chico State opened the second set with a scoring play out the gate. After the Cougars missed two blocking opportunities against the right corner of the net, Coach Andrea Leonard called a timeout.

Within a span of minutes, Banich, Butler, and Fortune all had solo blocks, making up for the lack of blocks earlier in the set.

Fortune and Banich teamed up for another assisted block, securing their position as a blocking nightmare for opposing teams.

Despite a strong defensive showing, the Cougars lacked offensive power and walked away from the set with a 21-25 loss.

CSUSM opened the third set with two scoring plays–the first time they started with the upper hand.

The most exciting rally came when Chico State nearly won the point, but Kaylor saved it from going out of bounds. This allowed freshman Courtney Hulla to connect for a spike that the opponents were unable to stop.

In the end of the third set, Jordan Banich came alive with back to back kills as the Cougars made one last offensive push. Despite these consecutive kills, CSUSM lost the third set 21-25.

The three-set loss to Chico State highlights that one of the Cougars’ biggest opportunities for growth lies in learning how to translate passion and drive into wins on the court.

“We want to win so bad that we get a little bit tight in those moments” said Leonard. “We need to relax a little bit and be more confident in those moments and those are the things we’re going to take back in practice and continue to work on.”

The room for improvement is not daunting as the Cougars have a solid foundation to build upon. “Our attitude, our work ethic, our character is really strong right now and it’s just finishing off those last two points” said Leonard.