The volleyball cuts through the air, slams into the arms of the opposing team, and rebounds high into the air. A player runs underneath it and sets it across the court to the wing spiker, who, with a double squeak of his shoes, jumps up and slams the ball over the net and directly into the court. The jittery energy of the crowd, so far held back in their focus on the game, explodes outward in the form of a resounding cheer.

The Powder Buff boys volleyball tournament, held on February 14, was a fundraiser for the girls volleyball team and an opportunity given to the community to get together and allow boys to play a sport with no official male team at Bryan High–volleyball.

“My favorite part of the tournament was how everybody got into it,” principal Dr. Gregory Bowhuis said. “I was really surprised to see how many parents showed up, which was exciting. They were into it, I think, just as much as the students were, especially during the staff-versus-student game. That seemed to really have everybody excited.”

The staff-versus-student game brought a different energy to the competition, keeping the audience on edge and inspiring the younger players to play harder. After climbing their way to the top of the bracket, the Lover Boys, a student team, went on to win the tournament after playing against the teachers. 

“The most fun part, honestly, was going to the third set against the teachers,” senior and Lover Boys team member Will Bryan said. “I knew they were going to be competitive, but I didn’t know they were going to be that competitive.”

Although volleyball is diverse, it is often considered to be a girly sport in the South.

“I grew up near Los Angeles in Southern California,” physics teacher Michael Badzey said.  “Boys’ volleyball is a much bigger sport down there than it is here. Usually, boys look at volleyball here and think, ‘Oh, volleyball, that’s a girls’ sport.’ But then they get together with some other guys and realize that it is actually a very fast, powerful sport.”

Though the players often make it look easy, the coordination required for volleyball takes considerable effort.

“One of the hardest parts of volleyball is hitting,” Will said. “A lot of people think you just jump and slap the ball, but it takes a lot of coordination.”

The sentiment from players and spectators alike seemed to be that it was an event they would return to.

“I will absolutely return if they allow a teacher team again,” Badzey said. “I played because I thought it was fun. I also liked seeing a bunch of the guys saying to each other or to me, ‘Hey, that was really fun; I wish there was a place to play more often!’ I am hoping to see some of those guys come out and train with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Skyline.”

Though he shared the idea, chemistry teacher and Powderbuff spectator Dr. Michael Hebert Kokurek claims it would be hard to top this year’s tournament.

“All the teams seemed to really enjoy the competition, so I think it will grow next year,” Hebert Kokurek said. “Whether I go again potentially depends on how much energy the teams bring.”

Sophomore volleyball player Eden Springer helped organize the event and refereed during the tournament.

“It was very eye-opening for all of us,” Eden said. “Since we never got to actually be a ref before, and some of my teammates said they will have more respect for refs now. It just helps us understand the game more.”

One of the most enjoyable things described by spectators was looking at the costumes and listening to the creative names the boys created.

“Some of the names and costumes were really creative and funny, like Team Oozma Kappa,” Eden said. “I really like that name.”

Hebert Kokurek also appreciated the team’s designs, even if he saw them from the stands instead of the ref’s ladder. 

“I heard there was a team with really good chemistry, but I have never watched any volleyball before,” Hebert Kokurek said. “I thought the teams were really creative. The outfit designs were surprisingly good.”

There was a single consistent action the players did that was the hardest to judge.

“The hardest call to make was when people were in the net.” Sophomore Lilian Faulkner said. “Everybody was on the net, and we couldn’t tell who it was.” 

Emma Benitez, a referee and girls’ volleyball player, agreed, having shared the difficulty of judging the player’s proximity to the net.

“The hardest call was definitely net. It’s hard to see if it’s the ball or their fingertips,” Emma said.

The girls seemed torn about how good the boys’ teams actually were, but especially considering the lack of practice, they appreciated the effort the boys put in.

“Actually, the boys weren’t bad,” Emma said. “They surprised me. I thought they were good. I think if we went against them, they would put up a challenge, but I think the girls would still win.”

Bowhuis said he hopes to expand the tournament in the coming years.

“We actually want to make it even bigger going forward,” Dr. Bowhuis said. “This year was just Bryan High School students, but we actually had kids from other high schools in other districts as well that reached out. So next year, we hope to make it even bigger.”

The idea of Powder Buff is to provide a fun experience for both the community and the team, raising money and spirits.

“We had, I think, eight teams this year,” Bowhuis said. “I’d like to see around 20 next year and see how big we can make it. I want to make sure our students have as many opportunities to have fun and be as involved as possible to build up the school.”