Makayla Weaver, an exercise science major, joined the intramural volleyball team at NMU after her friends persuaded her to join for the social and athletic aspects. After attending the practices, she fell in love with the game and the fun dynamic between teammates.

“When I play volleyball, my main goal is just to hit it over the net in any way possible. It does not matter if the other team hits it back or not, you just have to make it up,” Weaver said.

Weaver ended up loving IM volleyball and has some fun memories of her team supporting each other at every game.

“I really like it when one of us scores a point or makes a good play up or something. Everybody just goes kind of crazy, even if we are losing by a decent amount, we keep a good viewpoint,” Weaver said.`

Anthony Harrington, an accounting major, is another player who is a part of the intramural volleyball team. Harrington enjoys the atmosphere of the league, describing it as lighthearted competition with friends, exactly what IM sports should be. 

“I do it to have fun,” Harrington said. “Get all competitive and do something with my friends.” 

Players believe the club organizes and referees the league properly, making the experience fair and enjoyable for everyone.

“They are not going to favor a certain team just because they know somebody on it,” Weaver said. “Pretty much everybody follows their rules and doesn’t really try to argue about anything. Everyone’s just here to have a good time.”

For Guinnevere Wuorinen, a biochemistry major, one of the highlights of practice is the music played in the background. The energy surrounding the games are high and there are suggestions being made to create matching t-shirts to increase comradery.

“The music just adds a whole layer to the fun and game,” Wuorinen said.

Despite the positive energy and enthusiasm from current players, there is a need for more players and popularity amongst the student body, according to Harrington. 

“Making sure there’s a lot more people and having a bigger student body would help for sure,” Harrington said.

Intramural volleyball is played in the Vandament Arena every Monday and Wednesday from 7 to 10 p.m. Students can still join on the IM website right now as a free agent this semester.

“You sign up through the IM leagues website and either send a link or you can create a team and then send the link to your friends,” Harrington said.