Concentrate now...the ball is coming to you...

"Relax, concentrate, focus...I will pass the ball to target, I will slam the ball into their court, the court is mine to defend...the ball will not touch our floor..." Before every big game, these are the things running through my mind to pump myself up. I am a volleyball player. For 5 months out of each year, I live and breathe volleyball. And even during the other 7 months, volleyball is not out of my life. During that time I am training, prepping, and practicing for the upcoming season.
I have been playing volleyball competitively for over two years now. I first became interested in it when my older brother *urged* me to try out for the team when I was a freshman, since he was the all-star varsity volleyball player when he was in high school. He swore that once I got into it, I would love it. And he was right. The tension, excitement and intensity of volleyball all make for an exciting game to both play and watch.
Both this year and last year, I played for our high school Junior Varsity team, and I was moved up to Varsity towards the latter part of our season this year! Woo hoo! Last year I was a "freshman" and therefore one of the players who didn't get much playing time. However, this year, was INCREDIBLE. I worked hard to sharpen my skills, and as a result, I held a permanent starting position as outside hitter, and I was rarely taken out of any games! I guess you could say I was "MVP" (okay, I'm sounding a little cocky here, nevermind). That's when I really started to love this sport. That weird tingly feeling you get when you do something good (such as get a kill or dig or something) is such a rush!
So you're probably wondering how well our team did this year, huh? Well, actually, we weren't super great. (Our record will remain anonymus, thank you very much). We didn't lose all our games, but didn't win them all either. Our team this year was very young, with only 3 returning sophomores, and LOTS of inexperienced freshmen. We lost our JV coach, Noelle, when the head coach *surprisingly* left his position, and she stepped up to take over Varsity. So, our team was coachless til about halfway through the season. Our new coach, however, was great! He was inspirational, and he NEVER, EVER gave up on even when we had given up on ourselves. He taught me personally a lot about volleyball, and made me realize I have potential that I didn't even know was there. He respected me as a dedicated athlete, which no other coach truly did.
During this season, I accomplished something that hadn't been done for a while in Girls' JV volleyball. I made the newspaper!!!! WOO HOO! I bet you're all thinking "Wow, big deal." But see, JV players NEVER make the newspaper. The only stats that are ever called in are Varsity stats...JV stats are always ignored. But, the morning after THE game, I went downstairs to read in the paper about our volleyball match the night before, and lo and behold, look what was in there (in very fine print, but it was in there none the less):

JV Score: State College, 2 Lewistown, 1
JV Stat Leader: Trish Barger, 8 aces
JV Record: 2-0

So I was very proud. Maybe it seems like I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but for a measly little JV player like myself, it meant a lot. And my teammates (most of them) were happy for me as well!

So, as you can see, I'm nuts about the sport of volleyball, especially after the great season I had this year. Yes, it does take lots of work, dedication and a very high tolerance of full-gym suicides and laps around the track. But it's all worth it in the end when you're doing something you love. I am going to a very tough, but good volleyball camp this summer so I can be in peak condition for pre-season this year. I can't wait!
Volleyball Terms
Since a lot of people have no idea what the heck I'm talking about when I say "kill" or "ace", etc., I've decided to define a couple of key terms when talking about volleyball...
Ace
A serve that is untouched or shanked by the opposing team
Dig
A pass up to or near target from a hard-hit or hard-to-reach ball
Kill
A hit that is untouched by the other team (goes straight to the floor)
Match
The best out of 3 volleyball games
Target
The right front area of the court where the ball should be passed to in order to be set (the setter always runs here, consequently)
Assist
A set from which a hitter got a kill
Shank
To pass, or dig the ball completely out of the court where it is impossible for anyone else to bring it back into play
Cool Volleyball Links
USA Volleyball Online
Volleyball World Wide
Official PSU Women's Volleyball website
Unofficial PSU Women's Volleyball website
USA National Team
Official PSU Men's Volleyball website
Unofficial PSU Men's Volleyball website
Collegiate Volleyball Update
Spike Nashbar(volleyball merchandise)

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