When Angela Seman took over as head coach of the Pine-Richland girls volleyball team in 2021, she wanted to teach her players more than just the game.
She wanted the girls to learn life skills and make sure they understood that “volleyball and sports end for everyone at some point” and that “there has to be a bigger purpose in life than just playing sports.”
“I went to the University of Pittsburgh and played under Dan Fisher,” Seman said. “He was a big advocate for us to find ways to give back to our community. I wanted to bring that life skill to Pine-Richland.”
In Seman’s first season, the team held a fundraising event for a family friend of hers, Daniel Strong, who was 3 at the time and needed a kidney transplant.
The next year, the school was contacted by the American Cancer Society about the Spike Out Cancer event, and the team jumped at the chance to raise money for the cause.
“The middle of our season is in October, so we said yes,” Seman said. “Everybody is in some shape or form affected by cancer or knows someone who has it. My brother-in-law was diagnosed shortly after that, which is why it continued that next year and again when my Pap had it.”
This year’s event was held Oct. 7 as the team hosted North Catholic. It was a rousing success as it was the largest amount of money raised in a single Spike Out Cancer event at Pine-Richland.
“It was the best night we had not just because we raised over $3,100, but just how involved everyone was and the fact it had that personal piece,” Seman said. “I felt it was just an amazing evening all around.”
This year’s personal feel involved the father of one of the Rams senior players who had been battling colon cancer for an extended period of time. He had been in Houston for the past few months receiving treatment and had surgery at the beginning of the season.
“He is finally coming home and is doing OK,” Seman said.
The whole evening kicked off with Seman welcoming both teams and fans and explaining why she started the event four years ago.
Then, Seman handed out a white rose to each player on both teams who wants to acknowledge a family member or friend who is currently, or has previously, dealt with cancer.
“They then can take those roses into the crowd and give it to that person, if they are in attendance,” said Kelly Woessner, Pine-Richland girls volleyball booster president. “Or they could give it to a family member of someone who had passed.”
There also were cards from the American Cancer Society that were given out for people to write the names of the people they wanted to recognize and have them hung from a volleyball net in between the junior varsity and varsity games.
Then the JROTC and color guard presented the flag while a student performed the national anthem before the game kicked off.
During the evening, there were raffle baskets and a 50-50 where those proceeds, as well as all money from concession stand sales, were donated to the American Cancer Society.
In years past, the event was held during a game against rival North Allegheny, but the Tigers were scheduled too early in the year, so Seman reached out to North Catholic.
“North Catholic did a really great job of participating in our flower ceremony, bringing their fanbase and even donating a raffle basket,” Seman said. “It was just a wonderful effort by both teams to get the word out and have it be a well-attended game.”
In the future, Seman would love to play different teams for the event.
“We’re always looking to get other teams and districts to get involved so that they can be inspired to put on their own philanthropy nights and maybe use our night as a guide,” Seman said.
“We would love for anyone in the community come out and support us and help us achieve what we’re trying to do.”
In its four years, Pine-Richland’s Spike Out Cancer event has raised more than $10,400.
As for the game itself, it was the first Spike Out Cancer night the Rams won as they swept the Trojans, 3-0.