Semi Pro

There we were again: stuck in the qualifier, a mere three spots away from the coveted main draw. I was used to it. I’ve lived on that bubble between qualifier and main draw for some time now. My points are not high enough to ensure auto entry, but can sometimes grant me the occasional berth to the main draw depending on who is playing and how big the draw is. Huntington Beach was a completely stacked 16-team main draw. Guaranteed qualifier status. 

Taking time off work to fly cross country and play in a single elimination stacked qualifier sounds kind of crazy, unless you’re a beach volleyball player. Something I still personally struggle with is explaining to my coworkers how the whole system works. When I come back from “vacation”, they’ll ask, “did you win?” And I’m not sure how to explain to them that if I was winning these events I simply ~would not~ also have this job. The teams winning these events are top five in the world, Olympic medal contenders, world champs. This is their career. Returning from an event to the inevitable “did you win?” puts a bit of a damper on the whole experience, even if I was happy with the results. Sometimes I don’t even want to mention that I’m going to a tournament, because it takes the pressure of the questioning away. 

The concept that translates to social media as well. Do I post about playing in the qualifier? If so, I’m subjecting myself to the onslaught of “did you qualify?” texts after the fact. If the answer is yes, I have no issue, but if it isn’t, the result stings that much more. It all goes back to having expectations for yourself and trying to let those go to play for the love of the game and competition.

Continually fighting through qualifiers takes a certain degree of mental fortitude, and/or a touch of downright insanity. But there we were, that morning, on a cool overcast day in Huntington Beach. It was oddly reminiscent of last year, where we were knocked out second round. I was confident, but also nervous. The excited kind of nervous – but nervous, nonetheless. 

Once you’re in the qualifier, seeding doesn’t matter a whole lot. Yes, the more consistent teams are generally spread out amongst the four brackets. But besides that, you never know what you’ll get. College teams coming out with no points make for some rough early match ups. In a single elimination qualifier, there is no room for error; losing focus for one game might just punch your ticket home. Qualifier day is the ultimate bloodbath. And if you come out victorious, your prize is main draw, but you’ll have paid the price: three extra matches on your body. 

It’s like beating a boss, only to emerge with half your health as you enter a final boss fight against an opponent two times stronger and fully healed. 

Qualifiers, man. 

Thursday was an exhilarating day. We swept our first round qualifier opponents before barely scraping through the second round, fighting off four match points to win. The final match of the day was another three-set battle. The last game of the day. One final main draw slot on the line. We opened up a healthy three point cushion early in the third set, but no lead truly feels safe until the match is over. Macy starting cramping right before the last side switch. We called a timeout and tried to consume as much water and electrolytes as we could. It was enough. We sided out to survive, clinching our spot in the main draw with a 15-12 victory. We had beaten the qualifier boss.

The reward? A date with the reigning world champs the next day. If you didn’t watch that match, let’s just say the final boss slayed us. 

But all was not lost. We completed the first part of the mission. We qualified. The next part will come as we go back home, get stronger, add more tools to the kit, and prepare for the next fight. 

-Megan