Refuse to Lose - Volleyball is the new Netball

If you were to ask an American about Netball, chances are they have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve tried explaining the sport a couple of times, but it hasn’t really come off very well. ‘So it’s like Basketball, but you can’t move with the ball, or slam dunk, or go in certain areas of the court?’ Kind of makes it sound a little dull! But at Universities across the UK Netball is probably one of the most popular sports that girls can play. Here, netball dresses are swapped for tight shorts, hoops are exchanged for a high net, ankle straps are replaced with knee pads and Volleyball is crowned the number one team sport for girls.

Last night I went along to the Coliseum to watch the girls Gamecock vs Presbyterian College match. With seating stands either side of the court I tried to imagine this type of crowd at one of Kent’s first team Netball Premier League matches, and I came to the conclusion that there are more Gamecock fans attending Volleyball than Netball get at our yearly Varsity rival with Christ Church. Fit with dancing cheerleaders wearing huge bright garnet bows in their hair and enough make-up on to scare a small child, cheering on ‘Go cocks!’ from the side lines made me really value the school spirit here. Not to mention the fact that the USC marching band took up a single stand to support the girls with their drums and trombones. Tunes included the National Anthem (of course) and the infamous ‘Gamecocks Fight Song’.

Like the Netball girls at home, the USC Volleyball girls were also really tall, super fit and had a real sense of unity. Numerous high fives were dealt after every point was scored and you could see that playing on this team was like being a part of a family. It was a really exciting game, fit with nachos and a free t-shirt, USC ending up winning 3-0. Whilst I would like to say that I’d be fab at Volleyball, I think my Netball instincts would get the better of me and I would end up catching the ball rather than fist pumping it up into the air. So unless a game of Volleyball is just for a bit of beach fun on holiday, it’s probably best I leave this one to the professionals!