You probably already know that volleyball is a game with six players on the court, and each side only gets three touches before they send the ball over the net, and the only way to score is by having the ball hit the ground. What most people don't know is there is so much more than just that. Some things that people don't think about are our girls having their arguments and having to forget about them as soon as they walk onto the court and play together. No matter what happens it always comes down to “the way a team plays as a whole determines its success,” as Babe Ruth said. 

For some people, teamwork comes in the form of team spirit, and that can be shown by giving team gifts. For example, the Rowland Hall volleyball team gets gifts for each other and calls it “secret siblings.” They get each other gifts that can vary from a “you’re the best dad ever” balloon to Hot Wheels cars. This contributes to teamwork because it brings the team joy on and off of the court. You don’t just have to think about your secret sibling; you also get to see their reaction to the gift before the game, and that can also make the gift giver very joyful to see their secret sibling receive the gift that they gave them.

There is a ton of dedication that goes into being on a team. You have to be willing to wake up early to get on the bus to go to a tournament and have to be at practice for around 2 hours daily after school. Not only is there dedication in terms of time, but you also have to be respectful to all of the players and the coaches; if you are disrespectful it will show on the court, leading to a divide in the players and causing them to not play as well together. There will always be a comment that can get to somebody, but most of the time they will get over it during the game, and if not then after, because no matter what, “After every point, whether won or lost, the team huddles in the middle of the court,” in the words of writer Kayla Simon.

Off the court, the team should be able to bond and create relationships over fun activities. Connecting off-court could also build the relationship that they had on the court, causing them to be better players. This relates to the Rowland Hall team because we all have had times that we bonded off the court and were able to become better friends. They could also find new ways to make each other feel better by knowing what they actually like and knowing what can actually build them up when they are feeling down. That's why there is just more than skill in volleyball: there is a ton of teamwork involved in making the team successful and able to play well together.