Selma High hosted several high school volleyball teams at its playdate Thursday.

The action got started around 10 a.m. and the girls played multiple exhibition games in the pre-season warmup.

Selma High Lady Saints head volleyball coach Katasha Turner organized the playdate which brought schools in from all around central Alabama.

“The playdate is good because you get to see other teams,” Turner said. “It’s good to see competition outside of your area and around your area. Today, we’re all here to get better for our upcoming season that starts in less than a month.”

Hale County, Minor, Robert E. Lee, Lanier, Central-Birmingham, Centerpoint and Park Crossing brought their teams to Selma to see how they look with the season inching closer.

The off-season work showed the girls had potential for highlights and room for improvement.

Flashes of diving plays, sustained rallies and a few well-timed spikes showed that the teams are getting closer to in-season form.

Volleyball season is only four-weeks away, and the Lady Saints are using every opportunity they can to get ready.

Members of the team have participated in off-season clinics, voluntary camps and summer workouts to prepare themselves. But the in-game experience at the playdate allows them to utilize what they’ve learned against opposing teams.

Each team was scheduled to play in four matches at the playdate to ensure everyone got an opportunity to get in some work. Each game ran with a 25-minute running clock.

Even a few junior varsity teams were able to get in some game time. In their time on the floor, they had the opportunity to experience varsity gameplay firsthand.

“It helps junior varsity because if they’re not touching the ball, then they are not getting better,” Turner said. “We always want them touching the ball and more repetitions in game situations. We want them to understand game situations because being in practice is one thing, but in the game is another. We want them to get acclimated with how to play.”

The gyms were loud with the cheers of the teams and the back-and-forth of balls being hit from side-to-side.

The playdate had a strong showing, and provided a benchmark for the Lady Saints to measure how much they need to improve.

“We want people to come out and support the student-athletes and athletics overall,” Turner said.