By Vantage Staff
The volleyball tournament planned for Monday night at Newman has a meaning far beyond friendly competition.
The tournament, titled Spike Out Cancer, is intended to help raise money for junior volleyball player Brooklyn Lane, who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
The tournament will start at 6 p.m. in the Fugate gymnasium, and teams of six to eight can sign up through May 3. The cost is $50 a team.
Lane, a diagnostic medical sonography major, recently told Newman’s University Relations that she had been undergoing rehab for what she assumed was an injured muscle. When she spoke about the issue with Noah Rogers, Newman’s director of sports medicine and the head athletic trainer, he encouraged her to get in touch with her doctor.
Eventually, she was referred to a specialist, who diagnosed Lane with synovial sarcoma, which is a rare and aggressive soft-tissue cancer. The treatment is chemotherapy and radiation.
But Lane’s family’s insurance won’t cover all the expenses, so her friends Josie Weers and Hannah Tymitz decided to organize the tournament fundraiser. Director of Student Activities Joshua Prilliman helped them quickly organize the tournament.
Money raised will go to a GoFundMe set up to help Lane and her family pay medical bills. As of Wednesday, the campaign had already raised $13,260 toward its $16,000 goal. The Go Fund Me can be found at www.gofundme.com/f/support-brooklyns-fight-against-synovial-sarcoma
Lane, who is from Wichita Falls, Texas, has been at Newman since her sophomore year. This season, she played in 27 matches and finished with a team-high 327 digs and 29 service aces.
Those who still want to register for the volleyball tournament should contact Prilliman at prillimanj@newmanu.edu
The winners of the tournament will get $200 in gift cards.
PHOTO: Courtesy, Unsplash
