build me up. (ON HOLD)

FOUR

chapter four.
calm yo tips v. have safe sets
october 19th

_____________

HONESTLY, BALLS SCARED ME, but, I think volleyball has to be one of the greatest sports invented.

When I was younger, I had always wanted to play volleyball. In middle school it was affordable and was a great way to get into the scene. They even had a program that helped sponsor students in high school and college that made the sport affordable. However, with me relocating so many times growing up, it was almost impossible to be consistent. But as a college student, the opportunities are endless including how much money and effort I want to put into them. For the last few months, I've been very active in the volleyball scene, from learning the basic mechanics of a pass to becoming a setter. It was a great feeling, an accomplishment that made me want to achieve more.

It had taken a bit of effort, but we are currently battling for 2nd place. It would be our first time placing in the top 5 since the start of the season. At the beginning, I was struggling to keep up, but now we finally had it in the bag and this would be our first time as the women's club getting to this spot. 

The referee blew the whistle, signaling for the ball to be served by the other team. It was a very tense moment as we were both at match point (14 serve 14) and it was our 3rd and final set. It was quiet in the gym as it had been a heated game, and people who weren't even there to watch us play stopped to watch the showdown. We were going against the men's club hailing it the battle of sexes. 

Ready to deliver the perfect set, the back players squatted low as the player on the other side of the net prepared himself to serve a fierce ball. The sweat on my forehead dripped down my face, and my chest heaved as I waited. We needed to win this.

He threw the ball high into the air, running at lightning speed before jumping and smashing the ball down.

"Mine!" Ezra yelled.

She was in the back left of the court, our Libero. She was the best at her receiving position, absorbing the mighty blow so much that her body fell backward and the ball went sky high.

Without thinking, my body found itself under the ball as if it were falling in slow motion, my breathing slowing and my thinking sharp. Within that millisecond, I knew what to do.

"Pike!"

"Four, four!"

All of my teammates began begging me to set the ball to them. Two of them behind me in their sections, and the rest preparing to hit the ball from their position. I knew that this was a moment any spiker would kill for, but also a vulnerable spot to be blocked or their ball caught for the other side to play their strategy.

I had an idea, though, one I had never successfully pulled before. It was a risk that I decided to go for.

"One!" I yelled out.

In the corner of my eye, I could see the men on the other side of the net preparing for a spike. I bent my back, feigning a back set to the first position, and instead, I tipped the ball over subtly.

It all happened so fast, but it landed right in the donut of the court, a spot where most teams are vulnerable and nearly impossible to get to on time.

No one saw it coming. Tt was a simple move that won us the game.

It was silent for a few seconds before cheers erupted in the gym, and the referee blew his last whistle. The scoreboard showed that we finally won.

We all screamed and wailed, huddling together and hugging each other at our win against the men.