The Legacy Behind Dig Panici Night and Lisa Panici
Warhawk volleyball hosts Dig Panici Night annually to honor the late Lisa Panici, a former outside hitter for the Warhawks. Just months into her first year of college, Panici was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer. Following a long fought battle with the disease, she died in December 2012.
“It shows the impact that Lisa had on the program when she was here,” head coach Stacy Boudreau said. “She really embodied the spirit of being a Warhawk and the characteristics we want our players to have. Every single person who goes through our program knows who she was and knows what she meant to our program.”
The night also serves as a fundraiser for the Dig Panici Scholarship with T-shirt sales from the event going directly towards the scholarship fund.
During Dig Panici Night, Warhawk fans and players hold their applause for Whitewater’s first two-points scored in the first set. After the third point is scored, the crowd erupts.
“We wanted something special to honor her and to remember her and to bring the campus community together,” Boudreau said. “Most people that are here never met Lisa, but for them to know about the event…we wanted that legacy event, and I feel like that’s what it has become.”
Panici, originally from Peotone, Illinois, first arrived in Whitewater in fall 2010 and immediately made her presence known to the team.
“Lisa was incredible, just somebody who lights up a room,” former teammate Katy (Krajnak) Rogers said.
Rogers, a senior middle blocker during Panici’s freshman season, formed a close connection with Panici in their lone season together. Not only did Panici’s competitive spirit shine through on the court, but her careless, free-spirited personality elevated the lives of Rogers and Panici’s former Warhawk teammates alike.
“I was telling (Lisa’s) mom there was one time we were in practice and she’s wearing a red sports bra with a white shirt. She starts sweating and it starts bleeding through,” Rogers said. “We look at her like, ‘Lisa, you gotta fix your shirt. Go change your shirt,’ and she goes, ‘Strawberry milk.’”
Panici’s spirit bleeds into the team locker room years later – fittingly named in her honor to commemorate the Warhawk volleyball legend.
“For me, Dig Panici Night means going out there, giving your all, working hard, being a leader, friendship, and winning,” sophomore middle hitter Abbie Dix said. “We want Lisa’s spirit…from what I’ve heard about her, she was a very good leader and very powerful for our team. She was always trying to have fun and was really competitive.”
Match Coverage
No. 4 UW-Whitewater volleyball swept the UW-Eau Claire Blugolds on Dig Panici Night at the Kris Russell Volleyball Arena Friday night.
The Blugolds kept it competitive throughout the first two sets before the Warhawks put together a stellar defensive effort in the third set to close the match out. Eau Claire found themselves down 17-13 in the first set following an attack error from Whitewater sophomore middle hitter Abbie Dix. The Warhawks responded swiftly with a 8-4 run, winning the first set 25-17.
The second set proved even more competitive after an attack error from Whitewater’s graduate student outside hitter Jenna Weinfurt. The attack error brought Eau Claire to a one-point deficit, down 22-21 late. A string of Blugold errors brought the Warhawks to set point before graduate student outside hitter Alayna Jansky scored the final point for Whitewater, winning the second set 25-22.
“Eau Claire had fabulous defense,” Jansky said. “It was really, really hard to score those first two sets.”
The third set looked to be heading in a similar direction as it did in the first two sets. The Blugolds found themselves down four after a kill by Eau Claire junior outside hitter Bailey Leeke brought the game to 13-9. In response, a Dix kill sparked a 12-2 run by the Warhawks, highlighted by seven unanswered points. Eight of Whitewater’s points scored during the run came from attack errors by Eau Claire, leading to a 25-11 victory in the final set.
“Our team was confident throughout the whole match,” Boudreau said. “Even when it was close, I think they were still confident that, ‘All right, we need to take that turn and do a little better,’ and I think we got better each set.”
Dix and Jansky tied in total kills for Whitewater, tallying nine apiece. Jansky consistently found herself in proper position defensively, racking up 15 digs on the night. Dix also contributed on the defensive end, tallying 5 block assists as well. Sophomore setter Aubrie Krzus led the Warhawks in blocks assists against the Blugolds with 6 total to go along with 1 solo block.
“Our block setup was really awesome today,” Janksy said. “Even when we weren’t getting huge, ginormous blocks, (we) were in good position, just making it so much easier for us back there.”
Whitewater leads all of Division III in blocks per set with 2.73 on the season.
The Warhawks improve to 15-2 on the season heading into their Saturday, Oct. 12 home match against the No. 15 North Park Vikings.
