The volleyball net was up and ready for the first day of the Superwoman Inc. girls volleyball camp Monday morning in the Selma High School gymnasium.

It was the first volleyball camp put together by event organizer and Superwoman Inc. founder Letti Hasberry.

The new camp had beginners and more experienced players go through the basic fundamentals of the sport.

“This is the first volleyball camp that I’ve put on, and the first one, to my knowledge, that has been available for the city of Selma in a long time,” Hasberry said. “I think it’s a great chance, especially for some of the girls that haven’t played, to get introduced to the sport to see if they like it.”

Girls from Tipton Middle School, R.B. Hudson Middle School and a few of the Selma High Lady Saints volleyball players went through drills together led by volunteer coach Wanda Tyler.

Tyler, a Selma High alumni, was a former basketball, softball and volleyball coach at Southside High School.

“I feel as though the camp was very informative,” Hasberry said. “Coach Tyler did a good job teaching the girls the fundamentals and skills, and hopefully they took away from what she was trying to show them.”

Some of the campers hadn’t played volleyball before, so Tyler used the first day to go over the basics of the game.

“We have some campers as young as eight-years old,” Tyler said. “[The campers] responded very well. They had positive attitudes. No negative vibes at all, and they are eager to learn the game.”

They learned the different positions on the court, the correct stance and how to set an incoming ball.

Prior to reaching the high school level, there hasn’t been a venue to available in Selma or Dallas County to formally teach the sport to young girls. The local varsity programs at Selma High, Keith, Southside and Dallas County have become accustomed to bringing in new players with limited previous experience.

“The girls don’t have a sport to do during the fall recreationally,” Tyler said. “They have football, but they don’t have anything for girls. I think this would be good if the city would incorporate volleyball as a part of their program. It would enhance their skill level once they get to middle school and high school.”

The girls volleyball camp was intended to be an opportunity to expose young girls to the sport before they reached the high school level. Hasberry, who played for Tyler when she was a student at Southside, has provided the girls with a chance to see if volleyball is a sport that they could become interested in and learn. Hopefully, giving them a better chance to succeed if they do choose to play at the high school level.

“We can’t start in the ninth and 10th grade teaching kids,” Tyler said. “That’s Ms. Hasberry’s vision. This is the first time that she’s trying to incorporate volleyball and softball at a young age, and I think that is awesome.”

The second day of the girls volleyball camp continues Tuesday morning in the Selma High gym. Tyler will have the campers learn new skills and build upon what they’ve learned so far.