Why an ACC volleyball league would provide more than just an opportunity to play.

Story by: Alexa Smith 

In Priya Parker’s book, “The Art of Gathering” she discusses how gatherings must have a purpose. One might think the purpose of gathering for a volleyball game is to simply play volleyball. However, it is clear that for the women on ACC’s volleyball team it has become so much more. 

Tracy Partin has been a kinesiology professor at ACC for 12 years and a Student Life and Intramurals coordinator for 9 years. Recently, Partin has seen ACC’s volleyball team grow in a way it never has before. For the first time, ACC is considering forming its own volleyball league. Over 40 girls showed up to tryouts for the Fall 2019 semester but only 20 girls were able to play on teams.

 “My goal is to get everybody playing,” Partin says.

Which is what lead him to the idea of forming ACC’s own volleyball league. The league could potentially launch in the Spring semester and would allow more girls to play. 

So, what keeps these women coming back? What makes the purpose of these gatherings more than just playing volleyball? When talking with Partin and observing the two volleyball teams ACC currently has, it was clear that the women were not just finding a place to exercise but a place to form friendships and community.

“There’s a bonding that’s very special between the women in volleyball.” 

These are not just empty words. The team’s bond shines through in their gameplay as well. They don’t let one point go by without coming in for high-fives and cheering each other on. Critique and direction are necessary for sports, but the women on the ACC team deliver it carefully and with compassion. Rarely would they use phrases like, “You need to talk more” it’s always “We can talk more.” Even though they have only been playing with each other for a short amount of time, they already think as a team. 

This is what makes ACC’s volleyball games more than a simple gathering for the purpose of playing volleyball.  ACC’s volleyball games serve to support community, comradery, and personal development. The creation of ACC’s own volleyball league would not just provide a space for women to play their favorite sport, but also a place for women to support and uplift each other.