Volleyball is always a fun sport to photograph. It has lots of action and a healthy dose of passion from players, coaches and fans.

There’s also beauty and grace in the young athletes who compete in the sport.

It’s a tough, often rough-and-tumble game that showcases the competitive nature of the players and the intensity of the game.

Floyd County High School’s varsity volleyball team has struggled this season, scoring its first win recently but the JV team has scored some impressive wins and lost a 2-1 nail biter against Giles Thursday night.

The success of the JV team holds lots of promise when the young players move up to the varsity squad.

But win or lose, the passion of the players comes through each time I watch them play and have the pleasure of photographing them in action.

Which means I have as much fun as the players on the court.

And while it may be a sport limited to young women in Virginia high schools, it’s not a genteel game.

In other words, it’s no place for sissies.

More photos in next week’s Floyd Press.