Volleyball

Being a Libero

Volleyball

Angelina Kangail, Writer

Being a libero is a very taxing position to play. You get every down ball, every ball going out of bounds from your team, you do all the diving and scramble plays. If you want to be a libero be prepared to pancake the ground and get all sorts of floor burn because that’s a key essential of being one.

 Just picture it, you’re playing the third game and the last set. You’re neck to neck with the other team, you notice the opposing teams server at the moment has been serving short right in “ no man’s land”. They serve the ball, it sails right over, right towards no man’s land. The inbetween of the middle and middle back where they can’t get it. You lunge yourself forward screaming “MINE!”. Your body crashes to the ground as you pop the ball up off of your forearms, passing it up close to the net. Your body aches for breath as your chest caves from the impact. You have to get up though, the game is still going. Your setter approaches the ball you passed and in a quick movement, tips the ball. You guys just won the game. 

Being a libero comes with a lot of pain. Make sure to have neosporin and ice waiting for you after a game because you’re taking a lot of blows to your body when you dive, roll, grind to the ground to get to the ball. You can never hesitate, you have to be past and willing to hit the ground, If you’re too scared to pancake the floor and knock the breath out of you for a while then maybe stay with being a setter of a middle. A libero is only allowed to play back row and is a special defensive player, they make exchanges with backrow players during dead ball situations. You can’t spike or hit since you’re in the back row. It’s a fun position but you can get hurt easily while being one. That’s why being a libero is the hardest position to play.