The sand volleyball courts on West Campus were filled with serves, sets and spikes on Saturday, as students converged in t-shirts and sunglasses for the first intramural contests of the fall season. Teams arrived in the morning and engaged in spirited competition  throughout the day in men’s, women’s and all-gender tournaments. 

“I love intramurals because it’s a fun atmosphere where you can play with your friends in a team of people you’re comfortable with,” said junior Emily Cahill, who joined the sand volleyball tournament for her third year on Saturday. “I’m also doing flag football this year for the first time.”

A full season of fall intramural sports this year consists of sand and indoor volleyball, flag football, outdoor soccer, dodgeball, disc golf and the esports Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. For many students, intramurals are an opportunity to compete in organized games, try new sports and make new friends, without the high intensity and time commitment required of varsity and club athletics. 

There are also opportunities for students to pursue employment and leadership positions in intramural sports, such as becoming officials, scorekeepers, supervisors or commissioners. This year’s three commissioners, seniors Cate McCusker and Liam Shay and graduate student Matthew Panagrossi, have a wide array of responsibilities, including setting up schedules, running team registration and encouraging students to get involved in intramural sports.

“I joined intramurals right when I got on campus because I needed a job, but it definitely means more than the working part of it,” McCusker said. “It’s just a really good community, and I’ve met a lot of great friends through intramurals.”

To participate in an intramural sport, a team captain must register a team, pay a forfeit fee, and all players must sign waivers. Although the majority of students organize teams with their friends or dorm halls, students can also register as “free agents” if they don’t have enough players to form a team. All fall sports except for e-sports offer men’s, women’s and all-gender leagues.

For freshmen in particular, the fall intramural season offers opportunities to join a community on campus and meet new people outside of their dorm and classrooms. Intramurals also allow former high school athletes to continue their sport or transfer their skills to a new athletic pursuit. It is also a chance for students to become acquainted with athletic facilities on campus they might not otherwise have access to or come across in their daily schedule. 

“Having played soccer in high school and missing it, I decided to make a [intramural] soccer team and the process was fairly easy,” said freshman Jugat Singh, a captain in the all-gender league. 

Though Saturday’s sunny weather took a turn the following day, some teams refused to let the downpour interfere with their intramural plans.

“[On Sunday] it was pouring outside, but our team decided to go to the game anyway and embrace the rain,” Singh said. “Our opponents didn’t show up, and we did a practice scrimmage, which was really fun and a great way to start the season.”

Apart from the competition and memorable moments of intramural sports, the ultimate reward for tournament champions are the traditional t-shirt prizes. The men’s, women’s and all-gender sand volleyball champions received their t-shirts after Saturday’s tournament and were featured on the Instagram page @villanovarec.

Not all fall sports have yet begun, as indoor volleyball registration takes place this week on Sept. 13–15, and the dodgeball tournament does not commence until late November. Some popular sports, such as sand volleyball, are one-day events, while others, such as flag football and soccer, will continue on a weekly basis throughout the season.