The ball was coming down fast. Nicki Pascale, standing in the middle of the court tapped it to a teammate, who then spiked it over the net. The ball bounced off the floor and the people in the stands stood up and screamed.

Pascale, a sophomore, plays on the intramural volleyball team called The Hot Spikes in the spring. She enjoys the fast pace of the game, loves spiking the ball and fully believes that there is no “I” in team.

“I won that game for my team in high school and it was because I passed the ball,” Pascale said.

Volleyball is her passion and she enjoys the friendships she has made.

“Volleyball has given me much more than just the game. It has given me friendships that will never disappear,” said Pascale, who has a tall, lean body with big green eyes.

Pascale’s volleyball team at Harrison High School in Harrison, N.Y., was always good. The Harrison Huskies won most of their games during the season and always finished in the top three in their division. Pascale believes that her team won so many games because of their talent and how close knit her team was.

“It wasn’t winning that made our season so successful, it was the friendships that every girl had on the team. Being friends helped us work together, have fun and win the games,” Pascale said.

Being close to all her teammates during high school, Pascale was a little nervous about playing at the intramural level.

“I knew it wouldn’t be like my high school team because everyone knew each other and were such great friends. I was really nervous and afraid,” she said.

Because of her fear, Pascale skipped the fall semester of her freshman year, but decided that she couldn’t go any longer without volleyball. When the spring came around she was ready.

“I signed up for a co-ed team thinking that it would be something new and different since I never played with boys before,” Pascale said. “But I never thought I would have as much fun as I did.”

The season produced many wins and the Hot Spikes had fun, but the best part for Pascale was that it turned out to be just like her team in high school.

“We didn’t only become teammates, but we became friends. Volleyball was something that we all had in common, so we took it from there and made amazing friendships that I know will last forever,” she said.