Xavier College Prep Volleyball Team Plays for More Than a Win at Annual Dig Pink Night

PALM DESERT, Calif. — For the Xavier College Prep girls volleyball team, one night each year is about much more than what happens on the court.

The Saints are preparing for their 15th annual Dig Pink Night on October 6, an event that brings students, families and the community together to raise awareness and support for people affected by cancer.

“You can just tell the moment you walk into the gym,” one Xavier volleyball player said. “When we have our Dig Pink game, it’s not just a volleyball game anymore. It’s everyone fighting for the same cause.”

School leaders say the event reflects one of Xavier’s core missions: making sure no one feels unseen, unheard or unloved.

“For someone battling cancer to see that as a community, to see that as young students coming together, it’s really, really touching,” a school leader said.

The American Cancer Society estimates that about one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer. For Xavier’s student-athletes, that statistic represents friends, family members and members of their community who have been affected by the disease.

“Knowing that we play for something bigger than us as a community and knowing that it actually has an impact … we play with a purpose,” another player said.

That purpose extends beyond the volleyball court. Students say Dig Pink is an opportunity to show people facing cancer that they are not alone.

“It’s just good to show up for people, let them know that they’re not alone through this process,” one player said. “Let them know that we care by showing up.”

As the Saints take the court October 6, they’ll be playing for a cause that has become a 15-year tradition at Xavier — and for everyone whose life has been touched by cancer.