How Volleyball Changed My Life

When the ball hit the court, that's when I knew. Our season was over. I looked at my coach's face and he had a look, not of dissapointment, but of pride. Volleyball had completely changed my life in showing me the type of person I am, a leader. Volleyball began as a backup sport for me. I didn't make the soccer team my freshmen year so I tried out for the next best option. My first year I was placed on junior varsity as a hitter. I didn't get a lot of playtime, but on the bench I could see the game from a different perspective so I knew what we were doing well and what needed to be worked on. I worked on my game every day that year and by playoffs I was not only a starting player, but I was a starting player on varsity. The next season brought many changes to my career. My role on the
team was changed to setter. This took many hours of pracitcing against a wall in order to make my sets perfect and unique for each of the hitters on our team. This position is equal to the quarterback in football but with the praise of a field goal holder. It taught me the value of being selfless because I was setting up every play of the game, but would not receive any of the glory when a perfect hit was made. My junior year I was elected captain by my teamates.
They saw me as their leader and I was ready to lead. Being captain also took a toll on my relationships with some of my older teamates. They thought I was too young. Over the course of the course of this next year I proved them wrong. Volleyball became more than just a game for me. There were 40 of my friends and peers who looked up to me for my guidance both on and off the court. I had started my freshmen year with most of the people on the team, so to be voted as their captain meant that I had earned their respect over time. I was finding a side to myself that I didn't even know existed. Throughout the course of my junior year, we started to win almost all of our games. Our team was making a name for itself after many years of being considered as an easy school to beat.When we lost games, I would take it personally like I had failed the team, and would work harder to make sure that we did not get the same results the next week. We made it to playoffs and lost in the last stage before championships. After racking my brain on what I could have done better, I came to the conclusion that sometimes the other team is just
better.
This team made me extremely proud of who I am. I had stepped up to be captain of a team that wasn't doing well, and had worked with each person individually in order to improve their skills to go to playoffs. Furthermore, I had gained the respect of everyone on my team, including the coaches who saw how much effort I put in. I showed a whole other side of myself; a side that I plan to utilize frequently in college.