Senior Kevin Cox towards the net and gracefully sets the ball to ready his partner, senior Clark Mellen, for the next move. Mellen sprints to the ball and contorts his body so his back faces the net. He then whips around to smash the ball, which lands in the very center of the net.

Mellen says that Spikeball has shaped his experience at Paly through allowing him to interact with his peers and release energy that builds up throughout the day.

“By the end of [last] year, everybody was playing on the Quad, so it’s been definitely [sic] a changing experience for Paly,” Mellen says. “It’s been a good way to interact with friends, meet new people and take a nice break during class or a prep.”

As students flood the quad for lunch, so do fluorescent yellow balls and Spikeball nets. Since the creation of Spikeball Club last year, the sport has promptly evolved into a Paly campus fad, with new students playing every day.

The club was started by Nicholas Blonstein, Class of 2018, when he was a senior. Through playing a knock-off version of the game with his cousins, Blonstein says he fell in love with the sport and brought his passion to Paly.

“I started the Spikeball Club because I wanted many people to know about this sport,” Blonstein says. “I wanted to spread the word and get as many people involved as possible.”

“I hope that the Spikeball Club can serve as a really fun activity that will brighten students’ days.”

— Nicholas Blonstein

The torch is now in the hands of senior Miles Schulman, who began playing the sport before the Paly Spikeball Club was founded.

“I like Spikeball ‘cause it’s a team activity, so it’s like a collaboration,” Schulman says. “It’s also just active and fun.”

With the Spikeball Club ever-increasing in popularity, Blonstein and Schulman seem to have fostered a community of students and left a legacy to the Paly student body.

Since Club Day is now behind us, Spikeball sets will become more prominent on campus, as club officers bring out the nets every Wednesday at lunch and during most seventh period blocks.

Among the 80 students to sign up for the club is junior Lucas Finot, who attributes his passion for Spikeball to a desire to stay active during the lengthy school day.

“I play Spikeball because it’s something fun to do at lunch instead of just sitting around eating food,” Finot says.

Participating in Spikeball Club provides a well-deserved break from academics, allowing players to de-stress from schoolwork for a brief period of time.

Outside of school, there will be weekend tournaments hosted by the club officers which will provide food and feature prizes for the winning teams.

“I hope that the Spikeball Club can serve as a really fun activity that will brighten students’ days,” Blonstein says. “I also hope that it will continue to unify Paly’s student body and bring all different types of people together.”      v