Rowan University’s women’s volleyball swept the Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders on Saturday night, 3-0, at Esbjornson Gymnasium.
With Halloween on the horizon, the Profs were feeling in the spooky spirit. The team encouraged supporters to dress up in costume, as Halloween inspired contests would be played during halftime. During game breaks, candy was thrown to fans and spirited competitions were hosted.
The fans at Rowan University may have come together to ring in the spirit of Halloween, but they were also there to support a bigger cause. As Rowan’s volleyball team lines the benches and their coaches stand beside them, there is one person missing on the action – head coach Deana Jespersen.
Jespersen’s breast cancer recurred back earlier in October. She was initially diagnosed with breast cancer back in March of 2021, but had been in remission for the past few years.
Jespersen has been an advocate for fighters of the disease, emphasizing the importance of knowing what it means to wear pink.
Jespersen wasn’t in the gym Tuesday night as she undergoes treatment, but Rowan’s community gathered together in support of their missing coach.
The scorers table screen, which usually displays the team names and logos, instead showed with photos of Jespersen with her plays, and a message reading “We love you Deana”. A poster was also hung above the bleachers showing support for Jespersen.
After their win, the team held up heart hands to the camera that was streaming their match live. Jespersen was watching, and the gesture was for her.
With Jespersen’s absence, Rowan’s volleyball team has found support in the athletic department and the fans that root for them.
“We all really appreciate having Rowan athletics in our back corner. Having all the coaches come together and really let their team know that we needed their support tonight, and then having them all come out really is so exciting for us as a team,” junior middle hitter Ciara Bradley said. “Everybody really understands what we’re going through, and that there’s a lot of people out there watching us. We have something to play for and something to prove out here.”
People dressed in creative costumes may have thought they were just participating in school fun, but they were additionally fulfilling an idea Jespersen had.
“At the end of the day, it was more than a game. This is coach’s dream. She’s wanted a big Halloween game for as long as we can remember,” junior outside hitter Alexa Kelleher said. “All coach keeps telling us is, ‘Pack that gym. Pack the gym’. So seeing it that, we knew we were playing for her tonight, and I think that just kind of kept us going.”
The Profs will have a week-long break but are set to return in an away match on Tuesday, Nov. 4 against New Jersey City University (NJCU). The team isn’t competing in matches for a week, but Coach Matt Verlinghieri is determined to keep the spirit up.
“We’re gonna have a few practices, do a few Halloween related things to keep the spirit going,”Verlinghieri said. and then we’re going to get ready for our last conference game. Then, a tough weekend tri-match after that to get ready for playoffs.”
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