Annual American-Indian Heritage Night returns
Mesa Community College will have their annual American-Indian Heritage Night take place this Wednesday, September 14 at 7:00 pm when the Mesa women’s volleyball team plays Pima Community College.
MCC looks to wash the taste of their last two matches out with a victory on Wednesday. After starting the season with a win against Phoenix College 3-1, they’ve suffered back to back 3-0 losses to 14th ranked Glendale and fourth ranked Scottsdale: obviously two very talented teams.
The team was supposed to play a game against Park Gilbert on September 9, but that game has since been canceled. The Lady Thunderbirds will have gone a week without playing leading into the contest with Pima.
This game will begin a four game homestretch for the team, with two matchups against Eastern Arizona after a matchup with South Mountain to follow the Pima game. The Thunderbirds look to obtain their first home win of the season during this time.
Getting wins this early in the season is crucial in setting up successd for later in the year.
Losing two of their first three games, especially conference games, will make it difficult for the team to win many more later in the season if this trend continues. Of course, playoffs do not begin until October, but it is never too early to begin to look ahead and prepare for the upcoming event.
PCC comes into this game at 2-3 on the season, so both teams will be looking to make it to .500 on the year during this contest.
In regards to the game itself, the contest against the Aztecs will be MCC’s annual American Indian Heritage Night. As a part of the festivities, the Lady Thunderbirds will wear their Nike N7 uniforms.
According to the MCC website, they are described as, “turquoise with red, representing harmony, fellowship, and friendship.”
The partnership with Nike and their N7 jerseys began in 2018, and has continued ever since. Uniforms are not only being worn by the volleyball team, but the basketball and softball teams as well. MCC.
MCC was the first two year college in America to participate in the Nike N7 partnership. The college has always been heavily involved with supporting the Native-American community here in Arizona, with this event being just one of the many that help, support, and celebrate them.
Some of these include community mentorship programs, a grant to helpindegenous students impacted by the pandemic, and many other events to help promote and celebrate the culture across campus.
A big player in getting these partnerships done is the American Indian Institute. Established in 1986, the AII, “assists Native American/Alaskan Natives students in the areas of enrollment, scholarship, financial aid, student involvement, leadership and advisement,” according to the MCC website.
The game will take place this Wednesday. September 14 at 7:00 pm. The game will be live streamed via the MCC sports website (https://mesatbirdsports.com/live), and tickets will be available at the event itself.
