It all starts when I walk into the gym. Seeing the glossy wood floor and the net staring back at me, I feel elated. After putting on my gear, or in other words, my security blanket, my armor before my battle, all seriousness begins. Volleyball is the only thing on my mind from that point until I leave the gym.
My coaches are one aspect of making volleyball my home away from home. These people have become my second mothers for a few months out of every year and they know just about everything about me, and are able to tell what's going on in a flat second. They shaped me into the player I am today and they are the people who have stood by me and made me love the sport as much as I love it today. My teammates are not just people anymore, they've become family. They are the people that help make this place like home to me. They are the people I look to for comfort when I make a mistake during practice, they are the people I look to for a celebratory hug after a win that brings us closer to a playoff spot. But most importantly they are the people that bring life to the sport that I love.
Practice is the place where I am able to laugh and joke with my teammates and coaches, but still have time to be serious about the game. It is also a place to perfect my skills and a place for us as a team to work on things to make us better as a whole. We are able to build each other's confidence but also help each other with things that we can't see ourselves doing. Practice is a place to wind down and also another place to release the bad energy or to just have fun.
The bus rides are almost always filled with music and dancing, sleeping and stopping for food. We walk into the gym filled with fans, supporting our team or the opposing. The atmosphere is exhilarating, but at the same time it’s something I have done hundreds of times. The clock begins for warm-ups and it’s time to put on your game face. When it’s finally time for the coaches to call the lineup it’s the most nerve-racking feeling to find out if you're going to be able to be a part of it and show what you've been working for that week at practice. When you hear your number being called to be a part of the line up your heart beats out of your chest. Now it’s time to get on the court and wish the other players good luck. You hear that whistle blow. Game time. The ball gets served right to you, you pass it, the setter sets it, your hitter hits it and it’s a kill for the first point of the game, you all run together and cheer and it’s one of the most exciting feelings in the world.
The view of the gym after the game is one of the things I look forward to most. Looking at the empty gym after the last game of my senior season in high school and assessing what I was leaving behind was such a surreal feeling because I know I left my heart out on the court every game, every practice and I know I couldn't have done it any other way. Being able to continue on in college has been such a great feeling because I don’t need to stop just yet. Volleyball has become such a huge part of my life over the past six years. It is more of a passion than a hobby and I am really grateful that I have had the opportunity to play it.
