ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — Playing volleyball on family camping trips drew Alana Steines into playing the game competitively.
She and her teammates from Auburndale High School attended the Wisconsin State Volleyball Tournament in Ashwaubenon Friday.
“My favorite thing about the sport is making it like a dance on the court with my teammates and just feeling this rhythm that you don’t feel with very many sports,” she said.
Steines, a sophomore, said the sport continues to draw more players.
“I think other people seeing the team aspect we have at Auburndale uplifts people to come out for JV and try out and to want to be part of our team,” said Steines.
The National Federation of State High School Associations reports continued growth for both boys and girls volleyball.
Nationwide, it’s the second most popular sport for girls with more than 479,000 participants. Only outdoor track and field has more athletes.
Steines is one of almost a half million girls playing the game at the high school level.
“You think about girls sports in general and volleyball is one of the first things you think of,” she said. “Having it at the same time as football season it really uplifts a lot of the school spirit.”
Luxemburg-Casco High School science teacher Jennifer Balma, came to the Resch Center to watch the team — and some of her students — take on Saint Thomas More Friday morning.
“Volleyball is a great way to celebrate the girls sports as well because a lot of times they get overshadowed,” she said. “Volleyball has been a really great way to celebrate those girls and what they can do.”
Balma said she sees the impact of the sport on students.
“To get into this tournament, they had a really close game. They came from behind and to see that perseverance is really exciting to see for those girls to see what they’re made of,” she said. “It makes me proud as a teacher to see all that.”
