These Hilton Head girls are spending their summer learning lessons about volleyball — and life

With volleyball season just a couple months away, middle and high school players came out to the Instructional Volleyball Camp at Hilton Head Prep to fine tune their game before the upcoming season.

Led by Jola Graham, more than a dozen girls hit the court for the three-hour session.

Graham, a native of Poland, played Division I volleyball and competed professionally as well. Although she currently serves as the varsity coach at Savannah Country Day, Graham didn’t mind sharing her expertise with a few of the Lady Dolphins.

“The reason why I’m so passionate about sharing the love that I have for this game is because there is so much discipline you can take with you in your future career,” Graham said. “You have to do your job and, if you do it well, you’ll be successful.”

Beginners and advanced campers were led through a series of running, jumping and strength exercises.

Those in the beginning stages as well as newcomers hit the hardwood in the morning, grasping the basic fundamentals.

“Serving, passing, hitting and setting are some of the things we went over,” Graham said. “I also helped the young players feel at ease, because some of them say the game is too hard. Therefore, I wanted the players to know that this is not about perfection.”

The advanced group took the court in the afternoon, when Graham stressed the importance of being mentally prepared to handle mistakes.

“They already know how to pass, hit, serve and set the ball,” Graham said. “My main idea is to help them with the little things. I also like them to be strong mentally. For me personally, I don’t mind if you make a mistake. In fact, I tell the players to make a mistake, but then I want them to quickly evaluate what went wrong and then try it again.”

For Assistant Athletic Director Liz Nash, hosting a volleyball camp was all part of her plan to ensure all athletes are able to sink their teeth into drills that will prepare them for competition in their respective sport.

“As the camp director, I like to have an offering of every sport,” Nash said. “Volleyball works well because volleyball season is in the fall. As we tell our athletes, the summer months should be used to improve your skills in preparing for competition during your regular season.”

This story was originally published June 21, 2017 at 6:54 PM with the headline "These Hilton Head girls are spending their summer learning lessons about volleyball — and life."