Mina stood at the gym entrance and heard thump, slap, thump, slap. Mina knew that sound, the sound of a volleyball being smacked against the wall. She grew up with the sound; she even mastered the sport, but she has not played volleyball ever since an accident in middle school. But now, after four years, 16-year-old Mina finally worked up the courage to try out for the girls’ volleyball team at her school. She entered the gym and wrote her name on the sign-in sheet before she could back out. As she walked towards the locker room to drop off her bag, she noticed a group of girls practicing. When she exited the locker room, she heard a girl cry, “Watch out!” But it was too late. The ball plowed straight into Mina’s face, knocking her to the ground. When she opened her eyes, she saw many pairs of eyes staring back at her. “See, I told you she is okay,” said a tall girl with my bright curly red hair.

 “Well, it was a nice serve, Bella.” 

“Thanks, Cathy!” 

“But it went out. If it were a game, the other team would have got the point.” said a short girl with short black hair with blue highlights.

“Geez, fine, Tillie,” said Bella. 

“Who are you guys?” asked Mina

 “Oh, sorry. I’m Bella. I was the one that served the ball to your head. Sorry about that.” Bella said while helping Mina up.

“It’s fine,” Mina said. 

Then, she looked at the other girls and asked, “What are your names?”

“My name is Cathy,” said the girl with a brown ponytail

“And my name is Tille,” said the girl with short black and blue hair

Suddenly, they hear a whistle blown and turn to see their coach and other girls waiting in the middle of the court. “We better head to the group,” said Cathy. The girls all ran to the middle of the court. Then the coach started speaking, “Welcome girls to volleyball tryouts! You can call me Coach Ashley. Look around you, what do you see?” The girls all looked at each other confused. “Well, I see, a perfect girls volleyball team.” Said, Coach Ashley. After that statement, the whole team erupted into cheers, but Mina, who was still unsure if she should be on the team, raised her hand and said, “Excuse me, Coach Ashley. Why did we all make the team? What if we aren’t good enough to be on the team?” 

“Don’t worry, Mina. We are all going to work hard as a team so that everyone can grow to their full potential. Right, girls!” 

“Right, Coach Ashley!” 

And Mina, is there a reason you don’t feel good enough? You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to.” continued Coach Ashley.

“No, I can say why coach.” sighed Mina

“Ok, then, Mina. This will help the team bond .”

Mina took in a deep breath and started talking, “When I was in middle school, I had this terrible accident. When I was jumping, getting ready to spike the ball to the other side, I suddenly felt incredible pain; and then all of a sudden, I was on the floor clutching my shoulder. I soon found out that I had dislocated my shoulder. And although the doctor easily popped my shoulder back in, the accident scared me so much that I stopped playing volleyball. And now that I’ve decided to try again, I have this overwhelming feeling that I am not going to be good enough.” After Mina finished speaking, there was a tense air among the girls. Although none of them had experienced an accident like Mina, they also did not believe they were good enough for the team. Finally, seeing the team’s mood, Coach Ashley said, “Girls, I know you might think that you do not deserve to be on the team, but do you know what I think.” The girls shook their heads. “Well, I see a team of opportunity, a group that can be a great team if they put in all of their efforts, and don’t worry, Mina, as a team, we will help each other get over any fear that we may have. For we are the Majestic Leopards”, smiled Coach Ashley. 

After their pep talk, the girls felt more at ease and continued try-outs. When try-outs were finished, Coach Ashley discussed their practice schedule. They would have practice from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Mondays through Thursdays but were still expected to do exercises at home. The exercises consist of twenty-five squats, twenty-five pushups, twenty-five situps, and running in place for a minute to warm up and cool down. For a month, the girls practiced together, and the more practices they had the, more they bonded, and soon it was time for their first game. The night before the first game Mina did her nightly exercises and ate a carbohydrate-filled dinner. Then, after taking a shower and brushing her teeth, Mina went to bed. Mina had trouble falling asleep, but she drifted to sleep after an hour of counting sheep. 

Bring! Rang Mina’s alarm clock. Mina hit the stop button and jumped out of bed. “Today was the day!” Thought Mina. Today the team would play against the Silver Badgers, one of the most feared teams in the district. She got ready and threw on her volleyball uniform. She had received her uniform yesterday. The uniform was a deep magenta, with her school name, the number 7, and her last name Woods written in silver matched with black spandex shorts. When Mina arrived at the gym, she found that her team and the Silver Badgers were already there, and some girls were already starting to warm up. As Mina walked to the locker room to drop off her belongings, she remembered the day she came to this gym to try out for volleyball and how scared she was; but now she was no longer afraid but excited to play against the Silver Badgers and to win. 

Tweet! The first game of the season began. Mina was not playing until the second set. So she sat on the sidelines with Coach Ashley and her other teammates. She watched as Cathy received it to Tillie, and Tillie set it to Bella. Mina watched in awe at how confident she looked while spiking the ball, but…Boom! Bella’s spike was blocked, and the ball landed on their team’s side. The Silver Badgers gained one point. After that play, the Silver Badgers took the lead and won the set. The score was 25 to 15. After a bit of a break, the second set began; Mina came into this second set feeling nervous because of their previous loss in the first set, causing her to make some mistakes, allowing the Silver Badgers to pull into the lead. After all these mistakes, Coach Ashley asked the referees for a timeout. During the timeout, Coach Ashley told the girls, “Don’t be nervous. We can still win this. By now, they are getting cocky and letting down their guard. Take advantage of that, okay. Leopards on three!” And the girls finished the chant, “Leopards on two! 1 2 3! Go Leopards!”

The team jogged back onto court with renewed energy,  putting what Coach Ashley said to heart; Mina and her team won the second set of the game. The score was 25 to 20.  Now it was time for the third set, which would determine the winner. The third set was a battleground. It was save after save, spike after spike, and block after block. Finally, after a relentless 21 minutes, the score was tied 24 to 24. Mina’s team needed to be two points ahead to win. It was Bella’s turn to serve. The serve sailed over the net and hit the floor, making the score 25 to 24.

 “One more point!” thought Mina. Bella served again, but the other team picked up the ball and spiked it back to the Leopard’s side this time. Cathy received the ball to Tillie, and before the ball reached Tillie’s hand, Mina shouted, “Mine!” So that Tillie would know to pass it to her. Hearing Mina’s shout Tillie nodded her head and tossed the ball high in the air for Mina. As Mina jumped, she remembered all of her memories and experiences with this team and how they helped her love volleyball again and overcame her fear. As the ball fell right into her line of sight, she spiked the ball. She spiked the ball with all her might because she had to win not only for her but also for her team. As she landed, she heard the sound of the ball smacking the ground on the side of the Silver Badgers. For a moment, everything was silent until the referee blew his whistle, and a point was added to the Leopards. The score was 26 to 24. Mina and her team erupted into cheers, coming together for a group hug. Before walking off the court, the team lined up on the line and waved good game to the Silver Badgers, and the Silver Badgers returned the gesture. After the match, the girls did a team huddle, and Coach Ashley said, “I’m so proud of you guys! You all played amazing today! I have a feeling that this year’s season will be a good one.” The girls clapped and smiled. “Mina would you like to do the honors?” asked Coach Ashley. Mina smiled and said, “Leopards on three! Leopards on two! 1 2 3!” “Go Leopards!” Joined the rest of the team.

 As Mina reached the exit of the gym, she stopped and smiled to herself and thought, “This was going to be a good season, indeed.”