Mercer University’s women’s volleyball team is grieving the loss of sophomore player Aliyah “Ali” Waldon, who died from bone cancer at just 19 years old.
The team shared the heartbreaking news on Monday, Sept. 29, saying Ali passed away on Sunday. In their post, they remembered her as “a tremendous teammate” and asked supporters to keep her family in their thoughts and prayers.
“Our hearts are extremely heavy tonight as the entire Mercer community mourns the passing of Aliyah ‘Ali’ Waldon,” the team posted. “Ali was a tremendous teammate, daughter and friend whose smile could light up Hawkins Arena. Ali brought the entire volleyball community together in her fight. She will be sorely missed.”
Aliyah “Ali” Waldon, a standout volleyball player from Odessa, Fla., joined Mercer University’s team in 2023 and quickly made an impact, earning a spot on the All-Southern Conference team after scoring 210 points in 28 matches per PEOPLE.
In 2023, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer in her femur, after persistent hip pain led to an MRI. What she thought was a sports injury turned out to be cancer, forcing her to sit out her sophomore season in 2024 while she returned home to Florida for treatment per local station WMAZ.
Despite her illness, Waldon’s teammates honored her throughout the season by wearing shirts with the word “fight” spelled out with a yellow ribbon for the “i.” She was even able to return to campus at times to cheer on her teammates in person.
Her mother, Julie Rodgers, shared regular updates on Waldon’s battle through GoFundMe — more than 100 in total — and used the platform to share the heartbreaking news of her daughter’s passing on Sunday.
