DURHAM — A quote by Winston Churchill, written at the back of a photo album made by Holly Young, encompasses the life she lived: “Never, never, never, give up.”

Young, a University of New Hampshire volleyball player, lost her three-year battle with cancer on Jan. 24. She was 22.

Tuesday night at Lundholm Gymnasium, 400 friends and family celebrated her life.

“We celebrate a life far too short, but very well lived,” said University chaplain Larry Brickner-Wood.

Young, from Dennisport, Mass., was an accomplished student-athlete at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School. She took her volleyball club team to a championship, set state track records, won the Boston Globe All-Scholastic Award, the Principal’s Leadership Award and was a member of the National Honor Society.

In 2004, Young came to UNH to play on the volleyball team as an outside hitter, and with her incredible vertical leap and thunderous kill she was bound to be a star. During her first semester she was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer found primarily in children and adolescents.

“If you filled the (Whittemore Center) 50 times with children and adolescents and then pointed to one of them and said, ‘You have Ewing’s Sarcoma,’ that is the national statistic,” said Holly’s father, Bernard Young, of the probability of being diagnosed.

A table just inside the door to the gym was filled with mementos from Holly’s brief time at UNH, her No. 4 jersey and a pom pom, a photo album from her first semester, and a daring photo of Holly, bald from chemotherapy, elbow resting on her knee with her hand on her head, staring intensely into the camera.

“I wouldn’t have had the courage to do that,” said UNH athletic director Marty Scarano.

Outside the gym a poster with photos taken in 2005 from the same session were displayed in a frame featuring the word LIVESTRONG, written in its signature yellow. In the pictures Young was doing what she loved best, playing a sport and giving voice to a cause.

“In the middle of all that she decided to model,” said Scarano. “She was a really special kid.”

Scarano spoke of Young’s will to embrace life. He said Young taught everyone to be courageous in the face of adversity, to find humor in things that were not humorous and to fight even when the odds are stacked against them.

Young’s coach at UNH, Jill Hirschinger, recalled days when Young would finish a treatment in Boston and race back to campus to visit with her teammates and friends.

“We had team meetings where we would just share stories about Holly,” said Hirschinger.

Young’s teammate and neighbor during her first semester, Jessica Compton, spoke of Young’s inspirational spirit. Compton said Young was never one to talk about having a bad day.

“She did not confine herself to a life of pain and struggle,” she said.

Compton talked about Young’s beauty, her ability to stay courageous and the lessons she left.

“She taught us to care a little more about our hearts,” Compton said.

A video presentation of Young on the volleyball court was accompanied by a radio interview done shortly after she was diagnosed. Following the presentation was a slide show of pictures featuring Young and her life at UNH. Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young” played in the background.

“She never stopped smiling,” said Young’s mother, Carolyn Young. “It fills me with joy knowing such a short life touched so many.”

When it came to speaking about his daughter and her time at UNH, Bernard Young spoke not of what Young gave to everyone around her, but what they gave to her.

“You all left fingerprints on Holly,” he said.

As a tribute to Young’s memory, UNH will plant a tree on April 19 in the tree line walkway outside the field house.

UNH football coach Sean McDonnell paid tribute to the impact Young had on her community.

“She did three things for this community,” he said. “She made it better, stronger and special.”

While her time at UNH was brief, Young touched the hearts of all around her.

“She changed me as a coach, friend and person,” said Hirschinger.

As the celebration of Young’s life came to a close, the crowd smiled and clapped along as the UNH fight song poured out of the speakers.

“We only play it after a win,” said Hirschinger. “It’s what she would have wanted.”

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