'My whole being here is because of her': Emani' Foster reflects on her mother after big weekend

Friday night. No. 25 North Carolina volleyball against No. 19 Florida State. Fifth set to 15 points.

As Seminole Iane Henke rose for the kill, she was stuffed by graduate outside hitter Emani’ Foster. 5-2, UNC. 

Three points later, graduate setter Taylor Eisert tossed the ball up to Foster. Foster slammed the ball down. 8-3, UNC. As the teams switched sides halfway through the set, the Tar Heels celebrated and jumped around the Charlotte transfer. 

On the other side of the court now, Foster is back above the net. Another block. 9-3, North Carolina. 

For the fourth time in the set, Foster terminated the point yet again. Another kill. 10-4, UNC. 

North Carolina earned its second five set victory in a span of two games, but that’s not the only reason Friday night was special. It was UNC's “Dig Pink” game to honor breast cancer, which goes beyond the pink warm-up shirts and Kevin Durant’s yet-to-be-released Aunt Pearl pink Nike shoes. Especially for Foster. 

In the midst of North Carolina's preseason on Aug. 16, 2023, Foster lost her mother, Doris Marie Foster, after a short fight with ovarian cancer. The pin hitter described her mother in an Instagram video as “a bubbly person” who “lit up a room whenever she came in.”

Foster decided to transfer to UNC not only to be close to her home in Henderson, N.C., but also to represent the school her mother — who attended North Carolina’s dental hygiene school — always loved. 

“She always raved about Carolina and being a Tar Heel,” Foster said. “My whole being here is because of her. She wanted me to come here, and it’s a great school academic-wise, so I was like 'two birds, one stone.'”

As a transfer from UNC Charlotte, Foster was still new to the UNC team. However, when the players found out about her loss, they knew they had to do something special. 

When Foster returned to her apartment in Chapel Hill following time spent in Henderson, she found the team there, ready to show how much she means to them.

Even though Foster never asks for anything, they showed up for her, anyway. And that quality time and support continued. 

“Some would come over, we’d go get lunch or watch a movie or something,” Foster said. “It’s just nice for those little things because they do matter at the end of the day. Just a simple check-in to see how I’m doing to let people know that they’re thinking about you.”

Apart from her blue-painted nails signifying awareness for ovarian cancer, it was just another game for Foster. Against FSU, she brought her usual steady and reserved presence to the court, paired with crucial plays at the net. 

In another 3-2 win versus Miami two days later, Foster brought that same composure, along with nine kills and tied for a team-high three blocks. 

Prior to the five-set victory over the Seminoles, each player wrote down why they wore pink for the match. Like Foster, sophomore setter Zoe Behrendt and senior defensive specialist Marissa Meyerhoefer wrote “Mrs. Foster.” Others wore blue ribbons in their hair. 

“Her mom’s loss took a toll on our team,” Behrendt said. “I think whatever we can do to support her and make her feel loved, that’s what we love to do, and so that’s what I wanted to do for her on Friday.”

Whether it’s the bench celebrating on the hardwood or the entire team heading over to Foster’s apartment to watch "Cars" and lounge around on bean bags, the players and coaching staff alike know when one part of the team is hurting, they all hurt. 

“That’s the beautiful thing about this team,” head coach Mike Schall said. “Is that they care so much about each other.”

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@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com