The whistle blows, the signal to serve. The only sound heard is the volleyball bouncing against the ground. It’s tossed in the air and shoots across the net. The Lady Wildcats receive and begin the play. The players call for the ball, darting over the court as they keep it from touching the floor. A pass to the setter, who sets it to the hitter, who smashes the ball down on the other side of the net, making a kill.
“I definitely want to make it to playoffs this year and I know the whole team is in agreement with that,” senior Morgan Salerno said. “Also, it would be awesome to beat Plano West and Allen, since they will be our biggest rivals!”
The game of volleyball is all about finesse. Players learn the necessary skills, including passing, setting, hitting, and serving. They then build on and perfect them as seasons pass. As a result, most get an early start in the volleyball world.
“One of my friends joined a PSA volleyball team in fifth grade,” senior Vicki Liddle said. “So I decided to join too and haven’t stopped playing since.”
With the passing of years, not only do players’ skills grow, but the expectations for them increase as well. They’re expected to keep their abilities sharp and to pull their own weight amongst their teammates.
“As years go by, you find yourself with more responsibilities,” Liddle said. “You help carry the team and show how Plano volleyball is run.”
At a game, the turnout consists mostly of parents. Students are scarcer, and the girls encourage more to come and share in their excitement for volleyball.
“We always want people to come and support us at our home games,” Liddle said. “Especially the ones on Tuesday nights, since you don’t have the issue of football games on Fridays.”
In a game where players leap high in the air to slam balls to the ground or dive to the floor themselves to keep the ball from touching it, the girls risk a lot: crashing into the net, hitting the ball out of bounds, or not getting to it quickly enough so it hits the floor. But along with the risks come great rewards, including trust, good rhythm, and the cheers of the crowd as they make that pass, set, or kill.
“The most rewarding part of volleyball is when everyone on the team is just gelling perfectly, and everything is flowing,” Salerno said. “It is the best feeling to know that your team has confidence in you and they want to make that perfect pass so we can get a good set and kill.”
The Lady Wildcats spend August through November playing volleyball. With morning practices and games two times a week, they can get a little tired of it. But the girls all have a love for their game and their teammates, which helps them work together.
“We are all really close as a team since I think we see each other more often than we see our families,” Salerno said. “Of course, there are a lot of different personalities and they sometimes clash, but at the end of the day, we all want the same thing: to win matches.”