Semi Pro

If every beach volleyball event can cultivate an electric atmosphere like King of the Court (KotC), I think our sport is headed in the right direction. 

Now, I’ve only played domestic events in the US, so I don’t have an international comparison. But the way KotC runs the event, the way they stream it in one place *wink wink*, the way they take care of the players – the good vibes are infectious. There was something in the air that I can’t quite describe: an extra excitement, a buzz, an energy that other events lack. And it’s not just from my perspective as a player, though I will say the staff took exceptional care of the athletes (breakfasts and dinners as a group, clear communication throughout, extra timeouts and ice water in the heat to ensure player safety). Fans too loved the fast-paced format and engagement with the crowd. KotC has managed to strike the delicate balance of a hyper-competitive atmosphere that still fosters joy and camaraderie. It’s not always easy amongst athletes. What they have built is special. 

For those who don’t know, the King of the Court format is unique. One big “round” of pool play consists of three smaller rounds of 15 minutes. It starts with five teams rotating in round one. If you earn a defensive point, you go to the “king” side. That’s where points can be scored. If you score on the king side, you stay. If you don’t, you’re off, and the next team waves through. You want to get to and stay on the king side as much as possible to earn the most points. At the end of 15 minutes, the team with the least points gets eliminated. This repeats in round 2 for another 15 minutes, leaving round 3 with only three teams (a real testament to everyone’s conditioning). At the end of round three, the team with the most points advances in the tournament. 

The format is a crowd pleaser because it showcases multiple teams at once and brings out some quite exciting rallies during the fight for the king side. Serving is extremely aggressive, and every side out is important. Something that seems simple at face value (just siding out) has a deeper layer of strategy: you have to manage energy throughout. Winning rounds 1 and 2 doesn’t matter if you have nothing left in the tank by the time round 3 rolls around. Come out too hot, and risk a quick burn out. Ease off the gas too much, and risk another team going on a late streak to eliminate you. Another delicate balancing act.

I had registered for Miami KotC event without any expectations of even getting a qualifier spot. With no other events on the horizon, off-season was in full swing. When the email showed up Monday morning before the event confirming my position in the quali, I was stoked. It would be tough: nine teams total in the qualifier, one advances. Yet I arrived Friday feeling free, with a nothing-to-lose mentality. This was a rare situation in which there truly was nothing to lose. I live an hour from the event; there were no flight or hotel expenses to think about, no Ubers to catch, no work computer in drag along. I was completely unburdened. 

It was HOT. As a Florida girl, I’m used to heat and humidity, but there’s also a reason we don’t normally play at noon. I barely survived those first few 15 minute rounds. We managed to advance to the final pool despite us playing…not our best volley.

The final pool was at 4 pm, so the weather had cooled slightly (more like 85 instead of 90). Sara (Putt) and I had only one practice before the event, but it felt like we were getting better each round: finding our sets, figuring out who would stay up at the net, feeling the rhythm. Ya know, things that are normally sorted long before an event. But in round 1, we quickly found ourselves in trouble. We could get to the king side, but we could not earn points. We would jog over, turn around in serve receive, and get aced. Opportunity gone. The infamous red dot remained next to our names as the clock continued dwindling. We had only two points. The team immediately in front of us had seven. The clock had less than two minutes. My inner saboteur was creeping in, telling me that it was a good run, but that my tournament was over. We were going to be eliminated.

And then we made it to the king side. 

This was it – the last opportunity. We needed every single side out. And somehow, we got them. Time after time we managed to put the ball away, sprinting back into serve receive after each one, knowing that every second counted. We racked up three sideouts, then four, then five, until our points tied the others at seven. But a tie wasn’t good enough; we would still lose out because the other team had a longer streak. We needed that eighth point. There was enough time for one more serve. The referee blew the whistle. The serve came. I don’t remember who it even went to, or what the play was. But we got it: the eight point. Enough to stay alive. We survived round 1 by the smallest of margins. 

Sometimes escaping a tight battle or grinding through a close match sets you up for the rest of the tournament. It’s something I’ve experienced in the past, and it felt that way for the remaining rounds. We comfortably finished in second place during the second round of 15 minutes, and we kept the momentum rolling into the final round. We started off hot, and quickly collected 13 points. The team behind us made a late push in the final minutes to reach 12 points, but we held on as the clock expired.

We had qualified. 

The main draw was a beach volleyballer’s dream, filled with legends of the sport. In the first pool, we again squeaked out to move on to the semifinals on Sunday. There we made it to the final round of 15 minutes, but only one team moved on, and we were gassed. We had played eleven total 15 minute rounds – double that of any other team in the event. My legs were toast. 

But what an incredible experience. Playing and competing alongside beach volleyball icons was never something I expected. I mean, we joined a skills challenge alongside Agatha and Laura freaking Ludwig. Having two Olympic medalists cheer for and then heckle you was pretty dang cool. After a somewhat disappointing AVP season, this event as a whole was a victory I needed.

Huge thanks to the King of the Court staff for putting on a special event for both athletes and fans. Keep doing your thing. The sport needs innovators like you. 

-Megan