Every Friday, students from DHS and MHS partake in a 6-on-6 volleyball league. Located at the Midland Community Center, the four teams in the league take turns playing each other. DHS junior Audrey Moolenaar, who plays on one of the 6-on-6 teams, describes her experience in the league and how it helps her to become a better player.
“It’s a nice way to improve my volleyball skills,” Moolenaar said. “I also like having something to look forward to that’s fun on Friday night.”
Moolenaar was surprised with the seriousness and organization of the league.
“It was very different than I expected, we even had a referee,” Moolenaar said.
DHS junior Alyssa Stone, who came up with the volleyball league idea, wanted a new way to have fun without the pressure of an actual volleyball season. Stone suggested the idea to Kristin Eddy, who put together the league, consisting of both girls and boys from MHS and DHS. Lasting three weeks, the teams will get together once a week to play against each other for fun. Players are encouraged to try their hardest, but can have fun competing in a league without any pressure. While the league is not considered serious, the volleyball team with the most wins gets a free t-shirt for every player.
“I just wanted a fun way for everyone to play volleyball together, boys and girls from either school,” Stone said. “The league is open to everyone, which is cool. I feel like sometimes people think volleyball is a really easy sport, so we wanted to show them that it’s not exactly as easy as everyone thinks and you actually have to work.”
DHS senior Derek Striker, who plays on the team called “Max”, also enjoys the time he gets to spend with his team in the 6-on-6 league. Striker, with his other five teammates from DHS, haven’t exactly been off to the best start this season, but they remain hopeful for the future games.
“Even though we don’t always win, it’s always fun to play a sport that you can’t play at the school,” Striker said. “Since there’s no boys’ volleyball team, it’s good that they have something else for us to participate in.”
Striker also recounted that he played the sport previously and forgot how much he liked it.
“I played a lot with friends on spring break,” Striker said. “It was fun to get back into it.”
Not only does the community center volleyball league provide a fun and pressure-free environment for students of DHS and MHS, friends can come together to share an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives.
