Over the Net (4 page)

Val Priebe lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her two crazy wiener dogs, Bruce and Lily. Besides writing books, she loves to spend her time reading, knitting, cooking, and coaching basketball. Other books that Val has written in this series include
Full Court Dreams
and
Stolen Bases
.

When Tuesday Mourning was a little girl, she knew she wanted to be an artist when she grew up. Now, she is an illustrator who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. She especially loves illustrating books for kids and teenagers. When she isn't illustrating, Tuesday loves spending time with her husband, who is an actor, and their son, Atticus.

approach
(uh-PROCH)—the beginning part of a spike, in volleyball

confident
(KON-fuh-duhnt)—having a strong belief in your own abilities

familiar
(fuh-MIL-yur)—well-known or easily recognized

huddle
(HUDDLE)—to gather together in a group

league
(LEEG)—a group of sports teams

reaction
(ree-AK-shuhn)—an action in response to another action

rotated
(ROH-tayt-id)—took turns doing something

serve
(SURV)—to begin play by hitting the ball

substitution
(suhb-stih-TOO-shuhn)—a replacement

techniques
(tek-NEEKS)—ways of doing something

varsity
(VAR-sih-tee)—the highest-level team at a school

In 1895, William G. Morgan created a game called mintonette. He worked at the YMCA in Massachusetts. Morgan created the game for older members of the YMCA.

In 1896, the game was renamed volleyball. The game quickly spread to YMCAs around the United States.

Throughout the years, volleyball has continued to change. In the beginning, teams could have as many players as they wanted on the court. Players could hit the ball unlimited times before hitting it over the net.

The rules are different now. Now, only six players are allowed on the court, and the ball can only be hit three times by a team.

Flo Hymna, Paula Weishoff, Logan Tom, Danielle Scott, and Steve Timmons are some indoor volleyball greats.

Since its start in 1895, volleyball has become one of the most popular sports in the world. Every week, about 800 million people participate in a volleyball game. Whether played in a back yard or in the Olympics, its popularity continues to grow.

1. Allie asks her coach for help spiking. What else could she have done to get help and improve her skills?
   
2. Why does Allie keep losing her confidence during volleyball games?
   
3. Allie gets advice from lots of people during chapter 8. Who else could she have asked for advice?
   

1. In this book, Allie really looks up to Nikki. Write about someone you admire. What do you admire about that person?
   
2. Allie loves volleyball, but at the beginning of this book, she has some problems. Write about a time you had a problem doing something you loved. What happened? How did you fix the problem?
   
3. At the end of this book, Allie plans to join the summer volleyball league. Write a story that begins when this book ends. What happens next?
   

Maggie and Shannon are figure skaters and sisters. For once, Maggie is determined to come out from behind her sister's shadow. Can Maggie learn to shine, even when Shannon always seems to get in her way?

 

Molly has always dreamed of taking horseback riding lessons, and now she is! Everything is great . . . except that two girls at school keep making fun of Molly. She'll need to figure out a way to keep her confidence both in and out of the saddle.

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Jake Maddox Books are published by Stone Arch Books,
A Capstone Imprint
1710 Roe Crest Drive
North Mankato, Minnesota 56003
www.capstonepub.com

Copyright © 2009 by Stone Arch Books

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Maddox, Jake.
Over the Net / by Jake Maddox; illustrated by Tuesday Mourning.
p. cm. — (Impact Books. A Jake Maddox Sports Story)
ISBN 978-1-4342-1213-9 (library binding)
ISBN 978-1-4342-1403-4 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-4342-8907-0 (ebook)
[1. Volleyball—Fiction. 2. Self-confidence—Fiction.] I. Mourning, Tuesday, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.M25643Ov 2009
[Fic]—dc22
2008031959

Summary:
Allie loves everything about volleyball – except hitting. She doesn't think she's good at it, and every time she messes up, her belief in her own abilities dwindles. Finally, she asks for help. Her idol, Nikki, agrees to coach her once a week. If Allie can learn to spike as well as she blocks, she could become one of the team's strongest players.

Creative Director: Heather Kindseth
Graphic Designer: Carla Zetina-Yglesias

Photo Credits:
iStock/Nancy Louie, cover (background), 1 (background)