The competition is intense anytime Highland Park and Deerfield meet in any sport, but when the girls volleyball teams met in the annual Dig Pink match on Sept. 25, they were teammates for a notable cause.
Deerfield won the match 25-16, 25-15, but Highland Park senior setter Emily McCabe said the Warriors and Giants worked together for a common cause up until the first point of the match. They designed shirts in an effort to raise awareness and money in the fight against breast cancer.
“My teammates and I always want to beat Deerfield, but this game is about putting an end to breast cancer,” McCabe said. “That’s something much bigger than the rivalry.”
The teams wore jerseys made for the occasion. Deerfield senior setter Emma Velkme said the home team creates the shirts, with the Warriors wearing pink and red this year and the Giants black. The teams’ designs were strikingly similar as the teams played in front of a large crowd.
Fighting breast cancer is especially personal for Highland Park senior libero Abby Bain and Deerfield senior outside hitter Madi Zuckerman.
Zuckerman said her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. She is now cancer-free, but the ordeal showed Zuckerman her mother’s strength.
“She kept taking care of us while she was going through treatment,” Zuckerman said. “She was the one who was caring when she should have been the one cared for. We are all stronger because of her.”
Bain said she never knew her grandmother, who died of breast cancer before Bain was born.
“She died two days before my mom knew she was going to have me,” Bain said. “I only got to hear about her.”
Zuckerman paces Deerfield: The Warriors (10-7, 4-0 Central Suburban North) prevailed in straight sets against Highland Park. Zuckerman logged eight kills, three aces and seven digs.
Coach Blake Orlov said Zuckerman’s play against the Giants was superb.
“She elevated her game to a new level,” Orlov said.
Zuckerman said she had not played as well as she wanted in the previous few matches and wanted to have a special game with her parents, grandparents and sister in the stands.
“In warmups, I was starting to feel pretty good,” Zuckerman said. “After the first hit of the game, I knew I was going to be back in form. That pretty much did it for me.”
Giants ‘give their all’: Highland Park coach Beth Peterson said this is a rebuilding year for the Giants (1-18, 0-5). They had finished 8-2 in conference play each of the last two seasons but graduated a talented senior class last spring.
“They never give up,” Peterson said. “They give their all, and that’s all a coach can hope for.”
The Giants rallied to make each set competitive before the Warriors closed out the victory.
Warriors on the rise: In his third year coaching Deerfield, Orlov said his team has plenty of experience and confidence.
“They’re cool, calm and collected out there,” Orlov said. “They’ve been through it all. It doesn’t matter if we’re down by five or up by 10 because they’ve all been in those situations before.”
Peterson, who has coached Highland Park for 18 seasons, said this was Deerfield’s first victory in the rivalry in the last six years.
Ransom growing into leader: Esmeralda Ransom, a senior libero for Highland Park, moved to town the summer before her freshman year. She said she remembers how the older Giants made her feel welcomed when she arrived. Now, she is one of three captains who is making others feel comfortable on the team.
“I try to get to know every person on the team,” Ransom said. “I welcome everyone who is new to the varsity. I lead the warmups and try to help us grow as a team.”
Ransom said greeting a teammate in the hall during the school day helps build chemistry on the court.
Steve Sadin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
