Montclair volleyball faces West Orange in ‘Dig Pink’ match for breast cancer research

On Tuesday, Oct. 26, the Montclair High School volleyball teams will face West Orange for their 11th annual “Dig Pink” matches to raise funds for breast cancer research. 

After a year off due to the coronavirus pandemic, the teams will resume competing in support of the Side-Out Foundation and its work with metastatic breast cancer research.

"We are excited to get back to participating in this great event," head coach Pamela Reilly said in a Side-Out Foundation press release.

The triple header will begin with the freshman match at 4 p.m. The Suburban League middle school teams will play a set immediately after the freshman match. The junior varsity match will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m. First serve for varsity teams will be at 7 p.m. 

The event will conclude with drawings for prizes and gifts donated by members of the Montclair and West Orange communities. Admission for the event will be $5 for adults and $3 for students and children. There is free admission with the purchase of a 2021 Dig Pink Blackout T-shirt. Shirts are sold online via All Lacrosse.

The Dig Pink fundraiser was conceived by former high school volleyball coach Rick Dunetz after his mother was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer. He chose to utilize volleyball matches across the US to tell her story and garner support for specialized research. There have been more 9,000 Dig Pink Events, according to Side-Out.

All proceeds will go directly to the Side-Out Foundation. For direct donations on behalf of Montclair Volleyball, visit Side Out’s fundraising page at giving.side-out.org/campaigns/17883.

For more information about the event, contact Dig Pink coordinator Wendy Foley at wendypicc@yahoo.com or coach Pamela Reilly at preilly@montclair.k12.nj.us.