Breast cancer, as we all know, has struck this small, tight-knit community many times throughout the years. And of course, when a member of our little “family” falls, we all rally to support. As they say, it takes a village, right? So here we are. Rising to support Berni, her family, and the others like them who are going through a time in need. Berni was not only a South Shore graduate, an exceptional student-athlete, but a vibrant, devoted person who touched the lives of everyone she knew. The people who had the opportunity to know Berni, were truly the lucky ones. In 1998, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Being the strong-willed person she was, she fought and proved to be unbreakable. Although, 7 years later, heartbreakingly, Berni fell to the disease, but she will never be forgotten. Berni, along with her family and others like her who fight every day, are the reason we are here today, raising awareness and shedding light on a dark issue.

The people around us and their stories inspired us to want to do more than just play, and that was the attitude of Berni’s family. Pink Out is not only a game but a way for the team to show their support while doing something they love. The money we raised on that night from concessions, admissions, ribbons and raffle money was donated to the Berni Gustafson-Klobucher Memorial Fund. This fund was created in honor of Berni and is used to support students and families around the community. On the night of Pink Out, we raised $3, 118.69 to be donated to the fund. Which exceeded any amount raised in previous years! We would like to thank everyone who donated!

The game, on the other hand, was quite a show. The lady Cardinals started out on fire creating quite a lead for themselves thanks to Morgan Rock and her serves.  Then, the Mellen Granitediggers decided to take lead on the Cardinals and proceeded to take the first two sets away from the team. The team then dug deep and were fired up. The crowd and team got back in the game and took the next two sets from the Granitediggers. During the final set, they were nervous and adrenaline was high, but the girls fought through and took a gigantic win. Rylee Nicoletti lead the team in kills that night with 15 followed by Morgan Rock with 8. Myla Lahti killed the stats with 7 aces and 28 assists followed by Aurora Grant with 6 aces.

We would like to thank everyone for their support and donations. The community, the school, the team, and Berni’s family appreciate everything that has been done to show support for this cause. We hope to see you next year!