Volleyball Sonnet

A whistle sounds, the game’s about to start
A beat flows, 1, 2, 3, pass, set, return
It is a battle, fight with all your heart
Losing is something we refuse to learn
Liberos quick, setters fast, hitters strong
Perfect plays with little chance of mercy
Fans pressure no consent of doing wrong
Winner, loser, which do you want to be?
Best two out of three sets decide the game
Only three chances possibly just two
To make sure victory is ours to claim
Push first to 25, our hearts stay true
A whistle blows, the game’s about to start
We fight to win, play with entire heart.


I wrote this poem about volleyball because volleyball is my favorite sport. This sonnet is about the pressures and emotions present when playing in a game and all the factors that add to it.
There is a certain rhythm that flows in volleyball. Three is the maximum amount of touches allowed before the ball has to be returned over the net to the opposing side. The order of touches is usually pass, set, and hit. “A beat flows, 1, 2, 3, pass, set, return.” Watching a match, it is almost like listening to a song, until the ball hits the ground and the play is over.
“It is a battle, fight with all your heart, Losing is something we refuse to learn.” - Every sport is a battle, and in battles, losing is not an option. It is life or death. In sports, it is fail or succeed. There is no point in playing if the player doesn’t have the mentality that no matter what, winning is the only thing they want to do. The feeling of losing only lowers their self-confidence and mental strength. But it isn’t just mental and physical. It takes heart. Having heart gives the drive to make a player work harder than their opponents, the mentality that no matter the score, they can still win, the drive to put it all out there, on the court, field, or in the pool, with no regrets and leaving nothing behind.
“Liberos quick, setters fast, hitters strong, perfect plays with little chance of mercy.” - Each position picked for a player is critical to the game. The libero is usually the quickest and best passer on the team, the setter is the best at placing the ball where it needs to be for their hitters, and the hitters are the most explosive and powerful. Talented players for each of those positions together are some force to deal with. Strong teams show no mercy, as they can perform flawlessly.
“Fans pressure no consent of doing wrong. Winner, loser, which do you want to be?” - These two lines describe one of the pressures put upon a player while performing. Not only do they want to please their team and coaches, but they don’t want to disappoint all of the people watching. One bad play and the crowd looks down on them for the rest of the game. They lose faith in that player, which makes them lose faith in themselves. Then, it is all downhill from there. Though there are six players on the court, all are needed to be in sync for the rhythm to flow. Otherwise, the weak player can throw the whole team off and it is like listening to a broken record. There is no beat or flow, just rigid stops and repeats of the same part of the song, the record never seeming to be able to fix itself back to normal and finish. To win or to lose, it is really up to the whole team, no matter how good they are.
“Best two out of three sets decide the game. Only three chances possibly two to make sure victory is ours to claim. Push first to twenty-five, our hearts stay true.” - Though there are three sets in a match and usually twenty-five points in each, those twenty-five points go by fast. And usually, if one of the teams sweeps the first two sets, there is no third game, so each player has to make sure they put it all out there on the court from the start.
I decided to end my poem with the same lines I started with to create a cycle. This is because a volleyball match is just a cycle of plays. The setting is tense but still silent and calm while the whistle blows. Then, the beat starts to flow and it keeps going until the game becomes faster and more intense, into a battle to win or lose. But once the play ends, the cycle starts over calm and silent but tense, and it only builds up as the play goes on until it’s over. So as the poem goes on, the intensity should build up until the last two lines are reached and then the cycle starts back up again.