Volleyball

My daughter has finally found a sport that she likes. She had tried soccer, track, and softball and none of them held Beth's interest. Schools around here start volleyball in the fifth grade with the fifth and sixth graders combined in one team that competes against other schools. Last year, when Beth was in the fifth grade her school had to cancel volleyball because they couldn't get enough girls interested. Keep in mind that it only takes six girls to make a team!

This year the school had ten girls so they were able to form a team. The only problem is that on most of the teams that Beth's team has been competing against at least half of the players are sixth graders who competed last year. This has put Beth's team at a distinct disadvantage but they have still played hard in every match.

Last night was their seventh match. When we got to the school where the match was being held we found out that only six girls on Beth's team were showing up so Beth and her five teammates would have to play the entire match without a substitution. The other team had twenty girls. I figured that the other school must take their volleyball very seriously and didn't think Beth's team had a chance.

The first game was hard fought and finished at 29-27 to the other team. Beth's team never looked back. They won the next two games to take the match. This was the first match they had won. The girls were exhausted and excited. I overheard the other coach talking about Beth and her teammates. "What a plucky group of girls," she said. That's my daughter... plucky!