Last Wednesday, in a cool and cavernous Hilton Coliseum, I got my butt kicked by a group of girls.

I didn’t literally get beat up, but as I practiced with the ISU volleyball team, I definitely got put in my place.

Going into the practice, I figured I had a good shot of avoiding embarrassment. I play on the men’s club volleyball team and have a pretty good understanding of the game, so I would be in good shape, right? Boy was I wrong.

Within the first five minutes of practice, I was bleeding from both my knees – my fault for not bringing kneepads.

When I first got there I was off by myself, and I could tell the team was wondering what I was doing and what was going to happen. But as practice got going, I was slowly accepted as a part of the team.

Players and coaches both were offering encouragement as I made a fool of myself. They cheered me on in drills I had never done before – drills they do on a daily basis. They even took the time to work on technique with me – a gesture I thought showed a lot of character. They could have easily let me suffer, but instead took time out of their own practice to help me get better. I definitely wasn’t expecting that.

The most impressive thing to me was that they went through this demanding routine every day except game days and Sundays. They only get one break from volleyball each week.

Tie that in with trying to do homework and having some semblance of a social life, and I don’t know how they do it. I was so tired after only the first half of practice – I was kindly asked to sit out the second half to benefit the team – that I had to go home and take a nap before I could do anything productive. The thought of going through that every day is daunting, to say the least.

“A social life is definitely my last priority,” said junior Meghan Ferrie. “You just have to get really good at doing homework wherever you can – on the bus, on the plane, at the airport.”

With the players’ mix of class schedules and only one practice time, the coaches have to be flexible. Although they try to avoid a conflict, sometimes it can’t be helped.

While I was at practice, one player left early to go to class and another showed up halfway through. It wasn’t a distraction, though, as practice continued without interruption and the team moved forward.

“You just kind of fall into a routine of what you need to do,” Ferrie said. “School comes first, and the coaches are really good about that.”

That is another thing I have never experienced in all my years of sports and practice. Coaches just aren’t that flexible about missing practice, but it seems at the college level, they don’t really have a choice. Their job may be harder because of it, but like Ferrie alluded to, they are “student athletes.” Student comes first because that is something many athletes and schools seem to have forgotten.

So while I can say I survived a Division I practice, I definitely don’t think I could do that on a daily basis and stay up to date with my studies. It is a testament to the dedication of the players that they can juggle so many things successfully, especially with the pressure of winning. I applaud them and their efforts.

And finally, to answer the question that has been racing through your minds as you read this – no, I did not wear the spandex.

Nick Paulson is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Minnetonka, Minn.