By Julian Markese
Sports Editor
September was Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month. The volleyball team played in honor of Fatimah Shabazz, a young woman and volleyball player, who died during a match in 2021 due to a brain aneurysm.
Outside hitter Ceci Carter, a graduate student, was teammates with Shabazz at North Carolina A&T State University. The two were friends.
“Take your health very seriously,” Carter said. “It’s more common than you think.”
Carter’s new teammates aided her in keeping the spirit of her friend alive and in spreading awareness for a condition that few are aware of.
For Shabazz, the team donned purple ribbons; her favorite color and the signifying color of Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month.
The court was decorated with purple balloons.
The team did right by Shabazz in the best way they know how: with victory.
They defeated the traveling Greyhounds of Assumption University 3-2 on Friday, Oct. 10 in the Purple Match.
It was the first NE10 matchup of the season, a tight affair and as high flying as ever.
The Owls won the first set. Outside hitter Kerrigan Habing, a sophomore, showed power early and often. She finished with 17 kills.
Assumption played textbook defense.
The Greyhounds took the second set. They survived long rallies and withstood extra effort from setter Kimi Mitchell, a freshman, who finished with a career high 44 assists.
In the third set, the teams traded points back and forth. Right side hitter Elena Bianchi, a graduate student, tested Assumption with her serve. She had two aces.
The Owls won the third set.
The university looked well on their way to winning the fourth set, too.
The Owls led 23-13, only two points away from taking the entire match.
The Greyhounds came racing back. They won nine straight points, winning the set 27-25, on their way to forcing a fifth set.
Although the Owls looked like the better team, it was never out of reach for the Greyhounds.
The game hit its peak when the teams were tied at 12 in the final set.
The Owls were first to 15. Mitchell set up right side hitter Sydney Bennett, a senior, for the game winning kill. Bennett finished with 16.
“At the end of the day, it’s about having that grit and drive,” Mitchell said. “Having that competitiveness to want to win.”
It was another sweet result. The team is on a six-match winning streak.
The team is poised for a chance at a postseason run, as they continue their trek through the NE10.
For Carter, who is playing her sixth season of college volleyball, every moment on the court is worth enjoying.
“I’ve learned that it’s a sport, it’s supposed to be fun,” Carter said, “and if you’re having fun, you’re successful, whether the scoreboard shows that or not.”
The team is successful. Not only because of the recent string of results, but because of their attitude and camaraderie.
The team was successful in raising awareness and helping give their teammate a meaningful way to honor her friend, Fatimah Shabazz.
“It was a moment to remember her,” Carter said.
