The Mercer University community is grieving the loss of 19-year-old volleyball standout Aliyah “Ali” Waldon, who died Sunday after a courageous battle with osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer.
Mercer’s women’s volleyball team announced Waldon’s passing on Sept. 29, calling her “a tremendous teammate, daughter and friend whose smile could light up Hawkins Arena.”
“Ali brought the entire volleyball community together in her fight,” the team wrote in a statement. “She will be sorely missed.”
A native of Odessa, Florida, Waldon joined the Bears in 2023 and quickly made an impact, earning All-Southern Conference honors after posting 210 points in 28 matches her freshman season.
Her battle began last year when a persistent hip pain led to an MRI that revealed a six-inch tumor in her femur. Waldon told local outlet WMAZ she thought the pain might have been a sports injury, only to learn she was facing bone cancer.
“I was definitely shocked because I was just looking for a tear,” she said in 2023.
The diagnosis forced Waldon to sit out her sophomore season in 2024 while she returned to Florida for treatment.
Still, she remained an inspirational presence for her teammates, who wore yellow-ribbon “fight” shirts throughout the season and welcomed her back to campus when she was able to attend matches.
Her mother, Julie Rodgers, who chronicled Waldon’s fight through more than 100 updates on a GoFundMe page, confirmed her daughter’s death and shared an emotional tribute.
“Our hearts are shattered,” Rodgers wrote. “Ali would not want us to be sad, she was not amongst the ordinary, she was the funniest, happiest, most loving person I’ve ever known and I was blessed to be her mom!”
Rodgers said a celebration of life will be announced soon, and asked the public to keep Waldon’s family in their prayers.
