Every October, The Eastside Catholic Volleyball program hosts a “NOFA” night. The acronym NOFA stands for No One Fights Alone, a campaign to honor and raise awareness of those suffering from cancer and the impact it has on loved ones. The tradition started in 2012 to honor coach Angie Mitchell, who received her fourth cancer diagnosis that season, the annual night became even more meaningful, when just a year later, one of Eastside’s players was diagnosed with cancer as well. Now, players, coaches, students, and supporters all wear NOFA t-shirts that represent different types of Cancer each year on the designated NOFA night. On NOFA night, the Crusaders weren’t just playing to fight a battle against Lakeside, but to fight the battle of cancer.
In this year’s match, the Crusaders took on the Lakeside Lions and came up with the 3-1 win after dropping the first set. In the first set, the Crusaders struggled to get started, meanwhile the Lions came out hot offensively, led by junior and D1 recruit Lauren Coleman.
After dropping the first set, the Crusaders quickly rebounded. A key part in this? The Crusaders coaching staff made a few positional changes that helped the Cru win the following 3 sets and end the night victorious. In addition, the Crusader student section started to get loud, which helped fuel the team and remind them what they were playing for.
Eastside picked up the second and third sets by just 5 points or less, but effortlessly claimed the 4th to seal the win. This tough matchup was a key win for the Crusaders, giving them their second win of the week and putting them at 5-4 in Metro League. The loss for Lakeside forced the Lions to move to 3-6 in Metro League.
The Crusaders will take on Roosevelt this Tuesday before what looks to be an exciting non league matchup against 4A Skyline on Thursday. The Lions will be working towards a winning record by taking on Holy Names Academy and then number 1, West Seattle, this Thursday.
