This year I am apart of the U19 B Girls Volleyball team. I usually play power or libero for my team however, today I was given the opportunity to play libero for the A team because they were down a few players and needed people to come help out. At first I was excited, but then I became aware of the challenges that I would face. I think this experience helped demonstrate Learning Outcome 2 which is to engage in challenges. Not only would I be playing with a team that was unfamiliar, but the game would also be at a higher level than what I am generally used to. I think the pressure of being a libero also made me anxious because the position entails that I need to receive the serves and hits which would all be very powerful (they really were!).

I know that I did mess up a lot and that frustrated me. Often, I couldn’t direct the ball to the setter or I would bump it out completely. It made me feel guilt and I was embarrassed. However, I think the reason I was able to pull through was by learning from my mistakes, then wiping everything negative out of my mind and starting again from a blank slate. I remembered that everyone makes mistakes and as long as I can learn from it and improve next time, it shouldn’t be a problem. Thinking this throughout games really helps me keep calm and focused. 

I was so overjoyed that we won the game.  I really didn’t think we would have won and that I would have been able to do it. The whole time I was nervous and  I was tired and anxious and frustrated but when we won, I was so happy that the other emotions didn’t even matter! It makes me so proud to know that I contributed at least a little bit to the team’s overall performance.

In the future, I need to make my bumps more accurate and controlled. As a libero, I need to focus on this especially because it’s my main purpose. In order to improve, I think I need to squat down a lot lower and plant my feet at steady position so I am more grounded and stay balanced in order to deliver a good pass. I need to work on keeping my arms flat because as of right now I’ve formed a habit that doesn’t ricochet the ball right. My wrists need to face each other when bumping so that the sides on my for arms are the surface for the ball- it’s flatter and more accurate. I also need to try and get the ball to land closer to my wrists rather than my elbows because that way it’ll have more control and direction. I often haven’t been able to get the ball to the setter and to do this I need to bump it as described above and I also need to work on hitting it UP and not forward. 

I learned so much from playing with the A team that I can bring back to my own team:

• Get EVERY BALL unless you’re positive it’s out 
• Bump- set- spike, pays off 
• Be ready for block rebounds – ALWAYS 
• Serve consistently- it makes such a huge difference to our points
• Positive attitudes and shake it off mindset – don’t dwell on mistakes because otherwise you’ll just mess up more. Your mental state is such an important aspect when playing volleyball. It’s all about mindset
• Be 100% focused and eager to get the ball- when you do, at least you know you have purpose 
• CALL FOR THE BALL 
• Be DECISIVE – Do I hit? Do I set? Do I bump? Should I get that ? JUST DO IT!