Saw Parikh ’23

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The Roundnet Corps team is one of Strake Jesuit’s newer student activities. A former club, they now participate in tournaments locally and in places across the States. The team has about fifty members and is thinking about expanding. 

Roundnet, also known as Spikeball, is a sport that is played typically with four players and two teams. They serve the ball to each other by slamming the ball down on the net and returning it the same way without letting it touch the ground.

The team recently competed in nationals which took place in Philadelphia on October 2, finishing impressively:

Owen Lynch ‘24, Grant Marshall ‘22, James Ledbetter ‘22, and Felipe Martinez ‘22 earned top-10 recognition. 

Mason Abrell ‘22 and Edgar Castro ‘23 finished 21st.

Among 82 teams in their coaches division, Mr. Jeremy Dunford and Mr. Chris Siemann finished 5th.

The team practices four days a week, but requires only two days of attendance to be on the team in order to accommodate other student activities. Practices start at 3:15 and can go as long as 4:30.

Spikeball has picked up in the last few years at Strake Jesuit, not just for the team but also for those looking for a purely recreational activity.

“It lends itself to all different skill levels,” Mr. Siemen, coach of the team said. “You can be a beginner and barely know how to play and still have fun playing. It only takes four people to play, is quick and fast, and is easy to set up.” 

Despite that, the sport can get to very highly competitive levels and could be a candidate to become a new sport at the Olympics