The thrill of the night on, Oct. 7, began when both Downey and Warren’s volleyball teams filed into Downey High School’s gym to “Volley for a Cure” in honor of supporting women fighting off breast cancer. The crowd was restless as the teams prepared to compete on the court and this time, play for a cause. Despite making a determined appearance to beat each other, rival teams Downey and Warren set their differences aside and came together in support of women who survived breast cancer.

“The girls will battle between the net, but they are all coming together as one,” Keri Wohlford, Downey assistant coach, said. “They understand that it’s not necessarily about the rivalry.”

Hundreds of supportive fans continued to fill the stands with their pink shirts and painted faces to make the event a grand slam of emotion and involvement. The stuffiness and overbearing heat of the gym did not stop the crowd from going wild, every chance they got, to let the girls know they had the whole school cheering them on.

“I think it’s amazing that this community gets together and raises money for breast cancer awareness and research,” Andrea Glasser, cancer survivor, stated.

By the end of the second set, Downey lead the way having beat the Bears on both sets. A 5-minute interval was given in between to give recognition to and applaud the women from the Downey community who defeated breast cancer.

“It feels good to beat Warren on our home court, but it feels better to come together as one to support one cause,” Victoria Trejo, 10, said.

The end of the night resulted in a win by the Downey Vikes and endless cheers from the crowd with satisfaction with the outcome, the final score being 25-11. The girls [volleyball team] congratulated each other on their success of winning one of the most intense and nerve-wrecking games of their season, as stated by Victoria Trejo.

“I didn’t want it [the game] to be Downey versus Warren, Warren versus Downey, or fans against each other,” Mrs. Sims, Head Coach, stated. “These women [cancer survivors] deserve so much more than we can give them, and that’s why we will continue to put on this event.”

Not all attendees were satisfied with the outcome of the game but they were all aware of the overall significance of the game: the Downey community coming together as a whole supporting breast cancer awareness and “digging pink.”