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Monitoring Competition Jump Load in Division I Female Collegiate Volleyball Athletes

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Abstract

Aim

Tracking competition jump data provides a practical approach for assessing external load in volleyball.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to analyze competition jump load in collegiate volleyball players.

Methods

Data from nine National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I female volleyball players from the 2018 and 2019 competitive seasons were analyzed. Jumps were individually assigned, time-stamped, and recorded for height. Jump count and rate overall and at low, moderate, high, and maximal intensities were calculated. One-way ANOVAs were used to assess the variance in mean jump height from all jumps (HTall) and top five jump heights from each match (HTtop5) across positions (middle blocker vs. outside hitter vs. right-side hitter), timepoint in season (early vs. mid- vs. late), match length (3- vs. 4- vs. 5-set match), and Friday/Sunday matches and two-way ANOVAs were used to analyze jump count and rate differences across intensities.

Results

Significant differences in HTall and HTtop5 across positions (P < 0.001) were shown. Main effects were found for jump count and rate by position (P < 0.001) and for jump count by match length (P < 0.001). Significant intensity × position interactions for jump count and rate by position (P < 0.001) and by timepoint (P < 0.01) and jump count by match length (P < 0.001) were found. No statistically significant variance was observed in HTall or HTtop5 based on timepoint (P > 0.05), HTall, HTtop5, or jump rate by match length (P > 0.05), or HTall, HTtop5, jump count, or jump rate between Friday/Sunday matches (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Significant differences in competition jump height and load exist in NCAA Division I female volleyball players. Jump load alterations during training sessions may be warranted to maximize athlete readiness and performance.

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Data availability

The data are not publicly available due to the containment of information that could compromise research participant privacy/consent.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Michael Redd, Director of the University of Central Florida Sports Science Initiative, and the University of Central Florida Volleyball team and coaching staff for their assistance and collaboration in making this study possible. The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work. The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Funding

The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physiology of Work and Exercise Response (POWER) Laboratory, Institute of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA

    Chad H. Herring & David H. Fukuda

  2. Division of Kinesiology, School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy, University of Central Florida, 12494 University Boulevard, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA

    Chad H. Herring & David H. Fukuda

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  1. Chad H. Herring
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CHH and DHF conceived and designed research, analyzed data, and wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to David H. Fukuda.

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The authors declare they have no financial interests.

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The Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective examination of deidentified data.

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The University of Central Florida Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective examination of deidentified data.

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Herring, C.H., Fukuda, D.H. Monitoring Competition Jump Load in Division I Female Collegiate Volleyball Athletes. J. of SCI. IN SPORT AND EXERCISE 4, 221–230 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42978-021-00152-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42978-021-00152-y

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