Big Pink Volleyball for 2011 had a tremendous turn out with a total of 234 teams and total money raised coming out to around $5,000. The teams were divided into five brackets including Faculty Staff, Greek, Residence Halls, Club/Organization and Independent.

Over four days of elimination play, teams swarmed onto the courts of the Donald S. Spencer Student Recreation Center. The winners of each bracket were as follows:

Faculty/Staff: Ruled with SDO, Greek: Sigma Chi, Residence Halls: Mama Shi Shi, Club/Organization: CSS and the Independent: Cranial Cramps.

The different brackets had awards that ranged from t-shirts from Little Stitches, to free food and gift cards from local businesses. The champions received a t-shirt with "Champions" printed across the back, as well as their separate bracket prize.

Lauren Wolk, a 22-year-old senior special education major and co-chair of Big Pink Volleyball, was excited by the turn out of student support.

"The committee and I want to thank everyone who participated as well as McDonough County Hospital and Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Peoria," Wolk said.

The event started in April 2002, and in October 2002 it became the start of an annual fall tradition.

"I believe Big Pink has become the main staple of Western," Wolk added.

The Thompson Hall staff, as well as members of the recreation center and volunteers, helped during the four days of play.

Sigma Chi, winner of the Greek bracket, and Cranial Cramps, winner of the Independent bracket, were the teams to square off in the final game.

Sigma Chi won the rock, paper, scissors match, and started the 15 minute game off. Almost all of the volunteers still at the recreational center stood around the courts while other bystanders cheered the two groups on.

Half way through the game Sigma Chi was in the lead 10-1, and after several long volleys and a few substitutions, the final score was 14-5 Sigma Chi.

"Sigma Chi plays a big role in helping out all philanthropic events," Danny Schaver, a 22-year-old senior marketing major said after the game. "Big Pink is fun to play and it helps toward a good cause."

This was Sigma Chi's second year in a row winning both the Greek bracket title as well as the tournament over all.

James Boi, a 22-year-old senior accounting major, also of Sigma Chi, felt that they were just doing their part.

"The battle isn't out there on the courts; it's in all the women out there fighting."

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