Volleyball is a sport

Posted on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 @ 7:21am by

Mission: Promenade
Location: Star Base 50 Arena
1038 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

It was the second set of the third game; the tournament had been just what Vannan needed. SHe hda on the black one piece; hair in a ponytail, and shorts. The sand seemed to be everywhere, she did not have the time to waste the mental space wondering if all the sand she accomulated while playing Volleyball in the Bach setting would clog a drain.

Diving she extended her forearms to get the 'Bump' straight up foe the Setter as Vannan was playing center during the USS Vanguard's serve. Vannan belly flopped ; well sort of, but with practiced ease she sprang back to her feet; the game had been all but dead locked. The Majestic Team took the first set of the match; they wanted to get the blowhards of the Vanguard team's to lose with a goose egg.

The Spiker was just sending it over the net when Vannan was on her feet again. Jones was a strong for what looked like a skinny guy; his lanky build was well fitted for Volleyball; he had the reach to both spike and a good blocker as well. When the ball hit within the other team's court the Ref blew the whistle and the Serve came to Majestic team.

Vannan moved with the team rotation to the front left corner; here is where things became fun; at only five and a half feet she might be out of her league with a six foot man opposite her; she took half a step back and waited; the other team might see this as opportunity; Vannan surely saw the potential as the man across from her winked and gave her that supposed to be sly and irresistible smile; the 'Sorry Babe for how I am going to abuse you' type grin, and she knew then it was her turn.

Like the 'Strike Zone' of a man at bat, the Volleyball had areas that were open, the corner slots were tricky as too hard a spike and it often went out. Put a tall person versus a shorter one and the odds change; put it over Vannan's head and the Center would have to dive to get it and thus make for a hard set. By stepping back Vannan cut that 'Zone' in half and would have an advantage if the serve was to her, and there was where she had to be good.

The serve barely cleared the net; mere inches from it and right over Vannan's head; outting her fingertips in posotion she had spread them wide then closed her fingers together in a way to pop the ball straight up; the perfect set for a Spiker to slam it home.

"Point Majestic." The referee announced. 'Eleven to nine."

She blew a kiss to take that smile off his face.

Vannan knew they had to play to 15 and have two points superior to win; in event a single point separates game play continues until the winning team as a 2 point advantage. In this Side Out type tournament only the side that serves can score. It meant a longer game and more fun in Vannan's opinion.

Taking a position again she was not going to be the target for a return so easily; Majestic team had the serve again. The Jump Serve put the ball in the back court where it had been bumped up; the Center got under the ball to do a sweeping hand style set using the fingertips to put the ball up and slightly forward to the front line. The right front player jumped and hit the ball in an attempt to spike it. Sending the ball down fast and hard.

Team Majestic's Center returned the ball across as it was a hard hit and she was at a bad angle; the ball just cleared the net and Vanguard's team spiked it at the net, the ball went between the center and rear left player. The serve would change to Vanguard.

"We still have them." Vannan said loudly. "We gave them the sense of confidence, time to take them down." She urged.

The serve went to the back left; bumped to the center who set it just rear of the front line and a third hit put the ball out of the Vanguard Front line reach for a small rally by that crew's team. A spike was caught by the rear left player of Majestic; set closer to the front and the right front guy jumped up with his arm cocked for what looked like the perfect spike; the Vanguard team readied themselves accordingly just as Gibbs tapped it lightly over the net and it dropped straight down on the Vanguard's side of the net.

about another half dozen similar style 'rallies' between the teams, the score was at Game Point for Majestic; Vannan was at the serve; being the shortest player on teh team of four men and two women she had to make up for size by the heart she put into her game; it was a passionate fun that radiated from her; she had kept up with the best of them thus far. SHe had a trick she decided to try with her serve; not opting for the Jump Serve she did a regular one. These had less power but greater control of the ball; practicing her way of cupping her hand at the point of impact she placed a Top Spin to the ball without it looking like she had really done anything but place the ball over the front line and an easy Bump for the Center.

With the ball having top spin of a greater rotation when the center tried to Bump it the ball rolled up her forearms like a spinning ball on a level surface, if they had used fingertips the trick would not have worked, it was a gamble to make it seem like a text book serve that left the forearm bump as the choice that cost the player the return as she all but dropped the ball.

Vannan jumped for joy as it had worked and Majestic won the Third match and their slot in the finals...

OFF

Lt. JG Nichelle Vannan
Chief Operations Officer