This story was originally published on Aug. 1, 2012.
Volleyball sounds like a nice leisurely game.
Just hit the ball over the net, and go back to the barbeque for a hot dog.
Yeah, not so much.
Whether it was on the beach, or in a gym class, just about all of us have played the game of volleyball. But not like the women of the University of Tulsa volleyball team.
That's who showed me the ropes - the two-time defending Conference USA champs.
Most of Team USA's roster has hitters that stand somewhere between 6-6 and 6-8, with vertical leaps in excess of 40 inches.
Tulsa senior Tyler Henderson who stands, like me at just 5-11, says when it comes to being a big hitter, timing is everything.
"You know when to time it right, wherever the hitter is going to be at a certain point," Henderson told me. "That's how I'm able to jump over them if that's what you want to call it."
So how was my timing?
"It was a little rough," said Henderson.
Despite me being on the team, Henderson, a two-time conference player of the year, kept our team close, but I was of no help.
My final tally? Four shanks, two attack errors, and five less-than impressive kills.
As for the Olympic games, the USA men took gold in Beijing four years ago, upsetting top-ranked Brazil. They look to do so again in 2012.
And on the women's side, the Americans have never taken gold, but are ranked number one in the world right now, and favored to win it all in London.
Check out the video in the player above to see how I did.
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