Volleyball has been recognized for its laid back approach on the court, yet what some people tend to misunderstand is that it can be quite competitive. Some people may think that volleyball isn’t challenging due to its easy rules and procedures, but when it comes to winning, teams can take it as serious as those who play extreme sports. Even though it is not typically viewed as an extreme sport, team players usually go all in when making shots across the net, showing how dedicated people can be to a game labeled as easy by those around them.

“If someone told me volleyball wasn’t an extreme sport I would say I agree when talking about playing at a family barbecue,” varsity coach Jeffery LaPratt said. “But when you step onto a varsity court with a varsity team, it is extremely intense.”

Volleyball is for anyone, but girls teams are usually representative of schools across America. A lot of energy usually goes into playing the game, and it can get pretty brutal. Injuries are extremely common in this sport.

“It can be rough; I broke a finger from hitting the ball so hard,” senior Raeleen Sobetski said, “as well as dislocating my ankle.”

Even though people in every day life may not play the game so hard, school and state teams take it more serious since championships and becoming all-star is usually the main goal. Since most of the time the game is taken seriously, accidental injuries occur just like any other sport that gets rough.

“I wear protection like ankle braces, but not everyone wears much protection,” Sobetski said. “I don’t know how much it really helps.”

Volleyball players may not wear mouth guards and helmets, but there are players who make sure they’re protected at least somewhat while playing the game. Even if it may not help much it still lessens the risk of injuries like sprained wrists and twisted ankles.

To be prepared for what volleyball entails, players have to be fit to play the game the right way. There is strength and power that needs to be present in order to play.

“Someone on the opposite court hit the volleyball so hard that it flew across the court and knocked my clip board out of my hand,” LaPratt said. “It broke the clipboard into two pieces.”

Volleyball has advanced over the years, and its competitiveness has made winning become more rough when state or school teams are against one another. Its tendency to be an aggressive sport is no joke, as shown with players being injured and incidences occurring. As time goes on volleyball may be given the recognition some think it needs for being a sport players put all their effort in to win for their teammates.

“It’s really exciting to win because our hard work pays off,” junior Kayla Jacob said. “It’s pretty underrated; people don’t see how much effort we put into the game.”

It takes lots of sweat and tears to be the best player one can be. Teams need to try their best to make sure their hard work pays off, so that they can achieve success on the court. Volleyball is sometimes seen as an easy sport, but seeing how rough it can be on the playing field shows the dedication that teams put into their games, regardless of their reasons for playing.