Athletes Unlimited star Erin Fairs
Athletes Unlimited, the only Professional Volleyball League for women in the United States, is currently in it’s fourth week of competition. Season two of AU Volleyball has been ridiculously entertaining and competitive so far. We Serve First has taken special notice. Erin Fairs has chosen the foundation as her Athletes Causes organization, and 1/2 of her yearly bonus will be donated directly to our foundation to further our mission. Fairs (a former Louisville star) is sitting solidly in ninth place on the leaderboard, and looks to move up further with her effort in this week’s matches.
Erin has graciously allowed us to try out a new method of “Fun”draising. The idea is to get as many fans to engage with this league, cheer for Erin, and help more young women get into club volleyball despite financial challenges. So here is the plan, and here is where you come in…
Fans can commit to donating 25 cents for each point Erin scores in Saturday’s match (04-09-22). Erin’s last effort (112 points) would have brought in $38 for the We Serve First Foundation. Erin is a six rotation outside hitter, so she has been scoring in a variety of ways. For this fundraiser it will be helpful to understand the scoring system this unique league employs to crown a champion!
Serving: Ace + 12, Error -8
A serve is the first contact that starts every rally. Servers receive points for an ace. An ace (+12) is a serve which lands in the opponent’s court without being touched or is unable to be kept in play by the receiving team.
A service error (-8) is charged if: The serve hits or does not go over the net; The serve goes out-of-bounds; or The server is called for a foot. A foot violation is when the server touches the court outside the service zone.
Attack: Kill + 8, Error -12
An attack is any offensive action that sends the ball over the net to the opposing team that attempts to terminate the play. A kill (+8) is awarded when an attack is unable to be returned or uncontrolled by the opponent, leading to a point scored.
An attack error (-12) occurs when: the ball is hit out of bounds; the ball is hit into the net; a net or center line violation; or illegal contact during an attack attempt.
Set: Assist + 1, Error -12
An assist occurs when a player passes or sets the ball to a teammate who attacked the ball for a kill. An error (-12) occurs when a player commits a ball-handling error, which includes a double hit, which is when a player touches the ball twice or both hands touch the ball individually, and a lifted ball, which is prolonged contact with the ball.
Dig: Dig + 5, No Errors
A dig (+5) is the first contact made after a ball is sent over to the defensive team on an attack. This is a defensive movement made to prevent the ball from hitting the ground.
Pass: Good pass + 2, Error -12
A pass (+2) is the first contact after a serve. An error (-12) occurs when the receiving player is unable to make contact to return the ball or passes the ball out of bounds.
A pass that leads to a kill is known as an assist (+1).
Block: Stuff + 12, No Errors
A stuff block (+12) occurs when a defensive player at the net blocks an attack and the rally terminates with the ball on the attacker’s side of the court, resulting in a point for the blocker’s team.
Here is a handy video that helps explain.
Saturday’s match will start at 5:00pm EST and can be viewed on Athletes Unlimited’s YouTube Channel, which can be found here. After the match, those who have committed to matching Erin’s effort with a donation can do so by following this link. Just go to the “custom donation” tab and enter the amount earned when Erin helps demolish Team Sheilla!!!
So let’s have a little fun with this, give Erin a little boost as we cheer her on, and help athletes get advanced training in volleyball during a financial struggle. Will you “ace” this effort as you #choosetoserve ?