The Selma High Lady Saints volleyball team is hosting its second annual Pink Out Jam Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 13 in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“This is a health issue that effects many women and it effects our community,” Selma High head volleyball coach Katasha Turner said. “We just want to celebrate the survivors and remember the women who have fought in the fight against breast cancer.”

Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common in American women, according to the American Cancer Society. Current estimates show that about 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women and about 40,920 women will die from breast cancer.

Jennifer Black, a former special education teacher at Clark Elementary and friend of Turner, passed away earlier this year after her fight against the disease.

“This year, we’re remembering Ms. Black, who was a part of the band, Selma High and a part of the Clark family. She was a fighter in the fight against breast cancer,” Turner said. “In education, when you meet people who support you and take you under their wing, it can be very difficult when you lose somebody who had a great spirit like her.”

Turner’s personal ties with both survivors and those who have passed away from the disease drives the purpose behind dedicating the annual tournament to spreading awareness.

“It’s near and dear to my heart because my best friend, who currently is a survivor, was diagnosed in 2014, but her mother and her aunt were not (survivors),” Turner said. “At some point, in each of our lives, somebody has been touched by some type of cancer… That’s why this is important for me and everyone in the community.”

On Saturday morning at 9 a.m., eight schools, including the Lady Saints, will be playing volleyball matches in Selma High’s gymnasiums.

Jefferson Davis, Central Tuscaloosa, Demopolis, Park Crossing, Holy Family, Robert. E. Lee and Greensboro High School have all entered the tournament. The teams will play in a round robin pool before advancing to the single-elimination games to play for the tournament championship.

“We have some good teams coming with some pretty stacked competition,” Turner said.

Admission for entry to the tournament is $5 per person, and donations can be made at the door.

“We’ll have ribbons you can put on the wall in memory of someone or to support someone who is fighting against breast cancer,” Turner said. “We’re asking for any donations, because we’d like to support a breast cancer foundation in our area. Anybody who is in the fight, we just want to support them as much as we can.”