Monitoring Competition Jump Load in Division I Female Collegiate Volleyball Athletes

Aim Tracking competition jump data provides a practical approach for assessing external load in volleyball.Purpose The purpose of this study was to analyze competition jump load in collegiate volleyball players.Methods Data from nine National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA)Division I female volleyball players from the 2018 and 2019 competitive seasons were analyzed.Jumps were individually assigned,time-stamped,and recorded for height.Jump count and rate overall and at low,moderate,high,and maximal intensities were calculated.One-way ANOVAs were used to assess the variance in mean jump height from all jumps(HT_(all))and top five jump heights from each match(HTtop5)across positions(middle blocker vs.outside hitter vs.right-side hitter),timepoint in season(early vs.mid-vs.late),match length(3-vs.4-vs.5-set match),and Friday/Sunday matches and two-way ANOVAs were used to analyze jump count and rate differences across intensities.Results Significant differences in HTall and HTtop5 across positions(P<0.001)were shown.Main effects were found for jump count and rate by position(P<0.001)and for jump count by match length(P<0.001).Significant intensity×position interactions for jump count and rate by position(P<0.001)and by timepoint(P<0.01)and jump count by match length(P<0.001)were found.No statistically significant variance was observed in HTall or HTtop5 based on timepoint(P>0.05),HTall,HTtop5,or jump rate by match length(P>0.05),or HTall,HTtop5,jump count,or jump rate between Friday/Sunday matches(P>0.05).Conclusion Significant differences in competition jump height and load exist in NCAA Division I female volleyball players.Jump load alterations during training sessions may be warranted to maximize athlete readiness and performance.