Tricky Serves

The score was already 2-0 thanks to Cornelia's powerful serves. However, the server herself wasn't quite pleased with the result.

[Tch, I missed again.] Cornelia clicked her tongue. [I aimed at the real Landberht scion, not that fake servant. But, then again, I was thinking about "striking down the Landberhts" while serving, so maybe I was just too vague there.]

"Ohoho!" Cornelia laughed it off. "Did you see that elegant shot, Karen? A plebian like you has no chance of ever receiving a noble serve like this, not in a million years!" 

"Huh, keep yapping while you still can," Karen said. "We're gonna break your serve with the next one, just you watch!"

"Hmph. Bold words from somebody who has just failed to do exactly that. The next one will be even stronger! And, this time, it'll be directed at you, Fiona Landberht!" 

"I hope so," Fiona responded nonchalantly. The threat didn't seem to register with her at all.

[Grrr, such sheer calmness.] Cornelia gritted her teeth. [She's always like this, acting as if nothing can faze her. I must admit it grinds my gears! I shall shatter that maks of hers with the next one!]

It was time for the third serve. Once again, Cornelia methodically tossed the ball into the air, and then dashed forth and leapt toward the ball. Naturally, all the while she was maintaining an elegant and noble form.

WHAM! She hit the ball with all her might!The sheer loudness of the strike was enough to make commoners tremble. In the fact of this supreme might, they had no choice but to respect the heir of the von Galen house!

Except, the ball didn't fly far enough this time. It crashed straight into the net, like a car driving into a wall.

Thump. Thump. Thump. The ball jumped three times on the floor, then went silent.

"Ah..." Cornelia blinked a few times, unable to process the scene. She even rubbed her eyes a few times, to make sure the unimaginable scene in front of her was real.

"Pft, haha!" Karen burst into laughter, inviting her teammates to giggle along. "Nice serve! 10/10."

"Grrr..." Cornelia's fists trembled. Her face turned so red she looked like a tomato.

"I keep telling you, girl. Your aim is dogshit, haha!" Karen laughed. "You only make a clown outta yourself when you make all these big declarations."

"T-T-Tis' was but just me being merciful on you. Y-Yeah!"

"Pft, seriously?" 

"Y-Yes, such is the truth!" Cornelia lifted her chin in confidence yet shifted her eyes away. "Truth be told, I've started feeling sorry for you lot as you have proven yourself utterly incompetent at receiving my magnificent shots. As such, I deemed it too cruel to continue torturing you like this." 

Karen rolled her eyes. "Wow, how very kind of you, your highness."

"Indeed, my noble kindness knows no bounds! I even spare some of it for commoners such as you."

"Yeah, right. Just admit that your aim is doodoo."

"Hmph! My aim is as flawless as my nobility!"

"Very convincing story." Karen shrugged.

It was clear as day that Cornelia simply made her usual blunder, yet she went to unbelievable lengths to deny it. The girl was mental.

Nonetheless, out of courtesy, Fiona decided to entertain Cornelia's delusion.

"I thank you for your display of mercy," Fiona said as she picked up the ball. "However, I must warn you in advance that I will not be able to extend the same mercy toward your team during my turn. I hope you understand."

"Oh, are you serving first as well?" Cornelia nodded meaningfully. "Mhm. It only makes sense for the nobles to serve first. Such is their privilege, their noble right from birth!"

[Actually, this is just a matter of efficiency.] Fiona kept that retort to herself.

Fiona and Cornelia were both renowned for their impressive serves, therefore it made the most sense to place them first in the order. This way, they will have the most opportunities to serve throughout the game.

On top of that, a strong opening doubled as a psychological attack. If Fiona scores multiple points in a row, it will create a big score gap between the teams, one that will surely affect the enemy's morale.

But, of course, all of this was easier said than done. [I should not get ahead of myself.] Fiona thought. [For now, I must focus on making every serve count, that is all.]

And so, after carefully scanning the enemy court, Fiona tossed the ball high into the air. Just like Cornelia, she was going for a jump serve. Not many girls in the club were able to execute this type of serve, but Fiona focused on mastering this important technique.

With that said, unlike Cornelia's, Fiona's strike didn't produce much sound. No intimidating boom resounded to startle the enemy. Fiona only applied the necessary amount of strength to make the serve efficient and accurate. Exerting any more force than that had diminishing returns.

Hitting the ball harder than this was not going to increase the speed by all that much, it will only hurt the accuracy. In addition, hitting harder burned more stamina.

As such, Fiona struck the ball with a force that was no more and no less than the ideal amount she practiced. The motions were already engraved on her muscles after long and dedicated practice with a private coach.

WHAM! The ball shot toward the enemy court. Thanks to the high contact point, the ball was able to descend at a steep angle and still reach the enemy's court.

The velocity of the ball was not as intimidating as during Cornelia's wild serves, but it was still far above the average speed seen at girls' volleyball at the middle school level. In fact, the intensity of the serve rivaled the strong serves seen in boys' volleyball, which was naturally intimidating for girls who were not used to it. 

However, nobody faltered in the face of Fiona's strong serve. After practicing for over a year with servers like Fiona and Cornelia, all the girls here were used to strong serves by now. They were mentally prepared to handle any attack that came their way, which was a good sign for this year's regionals.

With that said, determination alone was not enough to receive Fiona's serve. After all, her serves were not only fast but also calculated.

"Hmm, is it going out…?" the enemy libero, Windy, mumbled questioningly as she inspected the incoming ball.

The fast-approaching ball traveled deep into the court, so deep that it was about to go right out of bounds. However, given the ball's high velocity, it was difficult to tell whether it will go past the baseline or not.

Of course, as the mastermind of the attack, Fiona knew the answer to that from the get-go. And, the answer was "no".

BAM! The ball hit the floor right at the border of the baseline. It just barely landed inside the court.

"Ah, shoot…" Windy facepalmed at the result. Until the very last moment, she was unable to tell whether the ball will make it or not. As a result, she ended up rooted in place, unable to make a move. That hesitation cost her team a point.

"Excuse me!?" Cornelia raged. "Do you mind explaining what just happened!? Did you fall asleep? The ball was clearly headed towards you!"

"Ah, well, it looked like an out, so…"

"An out!? Are you quite sane? Do you honestly believe that Fiona Landberht will make a plebian mistake like that!?"

"Um, it did happen before tho-"

"Foolish!" Cornelia barked. "Even if, by mere chance, Fiona were to commit a misplay, it would be an extraordinarily rare occurrence! Truly, it would be as rare as catching somebody as noble as me committing a misplay!"

[But, you literally did a minute ago…] Windy just barely held that one in. 

"Therefore!" Cornelia droned on. "Against either my or Fiona's serve, you should always assume it'll land within the court, understood?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Windy nodded just to get this over with.

"Hmm. I'm not sure about that attitude." Cornelia crossed her arms. "It doesn't look to me as if f the gravity of your sin has truly sunk in." 

"Sin? I just made a little mistake..."

"Little? Do you call that a 'little' mistake!? Behold what you have done!" Cornelia pointed to the other side of the court. "Thanks to your 'little' mistake, Fiona Landberht now gets to serve again!"

"But, that's..." [You're the one who messed up your serve and gave her the turn in the first place...]

"Girls, please." Daniella stepped in to calm the winds. "If you have any energy to spare on this pointless argument, then pour it into the game instead, okay?"

"Pointless? Hmph." Cornelia lifted her chin. "It is my duty as a noble to teach commoners about proper conduct."

"Sure, sure." Daniella rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Windy. Putting aside the way she phrased it, Cornelia does have a point. When Fiona is serving, it's safer to assume it'll be in. Her serves are strong, but their accuracy is actually the scariest thing about them."

"Yeah, you're right." Windy nodded. When the advice was phrased like this, it was much easier to accept.

"I'm expecting you to receive the next one properly!" Cornelia pointed her finger. 

"Sure..." 

"Though, perhaps it's too much to expect a commoner to break a noble's serve." Cornelia shook her head. "It might be necessary for me to handle this with my own two hands." 

"Seriously, this girl..." Windy made a face. Why was that rude clown even allowed on the team, again? Like, sure, the girl's serves and spikes were intense, but her aim was all over the place and her attitude was the worst. She was an extremely unpleasant teammate to play with.

Alas, the game ignored Windy's internal rants and moved on to the next round. Once again, it was Fiona's turn to serve.

[I can aim for the edges again.] Fiona thought. [But, I suspect they will be more on guard this time. They usually only hesitate to receive such borderline serves the first time.]

Unlike in tennis, where aiming for the edges and corners was often optimal, in volleyball, that strategy was not as dominant. After all, the enemy team had six players around the court, so there was always somebody positioned near every line.

Nonetheless, aiming for the edges still had a psychological effect. Even when somebody was in the vicinity to receive the ball, they had to make a difficult call first: will the ball go in or out? It was a difficult question to answer when the shot was very borderline, especially when the ball was moving fast.

In many cases, that split-second hesitation proved fatal. The receiver was unable to make a decision in time, therefore their response was delayed. That was exactly what happened to Windy back there.

[But, it will not go as smoothly twice in a row.] Fiona reasoned. She did not catch all the details, but it sounded as if Daniella reminded her team about the accuracy of Fiona's serves.

In general, when it was difficult to make the right call, it was better to go for the receive. Even if this receive ends up saving the ball from going out, at least it will not immediately cost the team a point.

[I assume they have all remembered this by now, so I will aim elsewhere.] Fiona thoroughly scanned the positions of the enemy players before deciding on her next move.

Once she finished her calculations, Fiona tossed the ball high into the air. WHAM! The ball shot toward the enemy court like a bullet!

"O-Okay!" "Got it!" Two girls responded at the same time and moved in to receive the ball, but...

"Wah!" "Ah!" Both of them hit the brakes right before crashing into each other. Just then, the ball slipped right past them and hit the floor.

[Good.] Fiona nodded in satisfaction. This was yet another example of employing the enemy's hesitation against them.

Fiona carefully aimed the ball right between the two girls in order to invite both of them to receive it. They both took the bait and rushed to challenge the ball, only to realize that they were about to bump into each other.

Under normal circumstances, the girls should have been competent enough to avoid such a basic mistake. However, Fiona's serves were clearly putting pressure on them. She will keep scoring points as long as nobody breaks her serve, so the girls felt pressured to respond quickly to the incoming ball.

"What was this plebeian blunder!?" Cornelia threw a fuss as usual, and Daniella stepped in to calm everybody again. It was quite the handful to have such an irritable teammate.

[Though, it is curious that she is acting like this.] Fiona thought. [She is not nearly as bad-tempered when we play together on the same team.]

Regardless, it was time for Fiona's third serve.

"You must absolutely get this ball, you hear!?" Cornelia commanded, but her teammates seemed more annoyed than motivated. As such, it was up to the captain to get the team together.

However, Daniella had a different idea here. "Fiona, do you mind dialing down the difficulty a little bit? This is just a practice match, you know. No need to mop us like that, haha."

"Not a very inspiring speech for a captain," Fiona argued. "Your opponents at the regionals will not go easy on you just because you asked nicely. The level of my serves might be above average, but it is still very much within the boundaries of the competition, am I wrong?" 

"Honesty, I'm not sure there's anybody in our region who can serve as you do, but yeah, you're right." Daniella took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks. "Alright, girls! Let's cut her off in the next one!"

"Yeah!" "Let's do it!" Some vigor returned to the enemy team. This situation was good practice for maintaining high morale against strong adversaries.

[But, I will not go easier on you just because you have reclaimed your fighting spirit.] Fiona scanned the court once again. [Hmm. I see they are all moving back, as expected.]

So far, both of Fiona's serves invaded deep into the enemy court thanks to the high contact point. By taking advantage of her height and jumping ability, Fiona was able to send the ball to the far end of the enemy court at a sharp angle. Not even Cornelia was capable of delivering serves like this, as this was a matter of height.

Naturally, the opponents expected Fiona to continue abusing this technique, so they reinforced their guard in the rear. But, in the process, they neglected the other half of the court.

WHAM! The ball descended from a vantage point as usual. However, this time, the angle was much sharper. The ball diagonally dove into the first half of the enemy court.

It took the enemy a few moments to notice this. "The front!" Daniella shouted as she dashed toward the ball. Alas, she had no hope of reaching the ball in time.

[I knew you would be the most vigilant of them all, Daniella Meier.] Fiona nodded. [That is why I made sure the ball will not go anywhere near you.]

Not only did Fiona aim for the front half of the court, but she also made sure to keep the ball out of reach for the most dangerous receivers. At least, that was the plan, but...

"No, you shall not!" One girl blitzed toward the falling ball at lightning speed. It was none other than Cornelia von Galen herself!

"I do not permit you to fall! Halt this foolishness at once!" Cornelia joined her hands and stretched them out as far as humanly possible as she leapt toward the ball. And, through the sheer power of will, she made contact with!

However, only the tip of her clenched hands touched the ball. This wasn't good enough to properly receive one of Fiona's serves.

BAM. The ball bounced off Cornelia's hands but didn't fly high. Instead, it dove straight toward the floor.

"I-It can't be..." Cornelia gritted her teeth. She found herself lying on the floor, with the ball rolling farther and farther away from her.

She felt as if the plebeian ball was mocking her, telling her that she was but a commoner who deserved to crawl on the ground. Even worse, as Cornelia raised her eyes, the first figure to catch her attention was none other than Fiona Landberht, standing gallantly in the distance and looking down on Cornelia.

The tall Landberht scion was like a giant looking down on an ant. By scoring yet another point, Fiona officially topped Cornelia's achievements and turned the game into a 2-3. 

"Fiona Landberht...!" Cornelia's fists trembled as she pushed herself off the floor.

This situation was all sorts of wrong. Cornelia von Galen was a noble, just like Fiona Landberht. As such, Cornelia had no business lying on the floor defeated like this!

"Hmp. You can have this one, Fiona Landberht," Cornelia declared. "However, next time, I shall put a stop to your serve for certain!"

"You are welcome to try." Fiona ignored the threat and prepared for her next serve. She has already scored 3 points in a row, but she had no intention of stopping there.

In the team-oriented sport that was volleyball, serving was the only play that could be considered solitary. As such, out of the multitude of skills volleyball demanded, Fiona made sure to specialize in serves above all else. It was simply the most efficient method to score points with the smallest margin of error.

Furthermore, thanks to the rules of volleyball, Fiona's serves could keep going indefinitely as long as she continued scoring points. So, how many points in a row will she accumulate this time around…?