Under the night sky, bright lights shine over two sand volleyball courts, lighting up groups of all-women teams — a typical Thursday evening at Mike Jacobs Sports Park.
A ball flies over the net and the women track it down, keeping it up and out of the sand.
Julie Carless provides the defense, digging out a spike on the sand courts at Mike Jacobs Sports Park during ladies night volleyball, Thursday, March 16, 2017, Tucson, Ariz. Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
"I got it!"
"Right here, right here!"
At the end of the game, each player high-fives members of the opposite team.
"Nice job, ladies!"
"Good game!"
The women are part of a ladies night volleyball league that meets every Thursday night at the west-side sports park.
The league has become a place for women to find friendship and a little competition.
For Rocio Casanova, a 29 -year-old mother of two and league manager, it has become her ladies night out.
She says, with two babies under the age of 2, she's not on the scene of going out to bars anymore, so "this is my middle ground."
"I can have a drink (there's beer at the concession stand) and have time with the ladies," Casanova says.
Casanova has always been involved in sports. When she moved here from San Diego five years ago, she fell in love with the ladies night league. The park closed for a few months and recently reopened. Casanova has just become league manager.
The park has become Casanova's "Arizona beach".
"It is an escape for mothers, daughters, sisters and young college women who just need a night out among other women," Casanova said. "As a mother of two beautiful babies under 2, I can say that I have been able to keep my inner competitor and spirit alive because of this league. It is my little piece of heaven."
Pink Ladies' Yuliana Cuellar stretches all out to save a ball headed out of bounds during ladies night volleyball at Mike Jacobs Sports Park, Thursday, March 16, 2017, Tucson, Ariz. Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
It has also helped her remain true to herself.
"In order to be true to yourself, you've gotta make time for what you love," Casanova said. "It's a lot of fun. I love it."
For some, it's a place for mothers and daughters to bond.
Jody Knight, 38, Julie Carless, 36, and their mother, Holly Zuber, 60 all play on the same team: Face Down. At one time, on another league, there were five members of the Zuber family playing together. They called themselves Z-Force.
Knight, a mother if three, has been playing volleyball at the sports park for 20 years.
Casual Sets Allison Pallack, left, and Jody Knight meet at the ball to defend a spike during their match at ladies night volleyball at Mike Jacobs Sports Park, Thursday, March 16, 2017, Tucson, Ariz. Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
"I love volleyball," Knight said. "And I love having a night away from the kids and a night with the ladies."
Members of the league that aren't related say the ladies on their team are like family to them, and they get together whenever possible outside of game nights.
"We've seen kids get married, parents pass away and kids go off to college," says Dolores Anderson, 55.
"We're family, man," Carless, a mother of two, added. "We look forward to it every Thursday."
Barb Moreno, a 62-year-old on the team has been playing volleyball and softball for 50 years. She's also the most competitive on the team, Anderson said.
"I like playing and keeping busy, ever since I was a young child," Moreno said. "I even played with a broken finger."
The ladies on the Face Down team have played together for 20 years.
"And we still really like each other," Zuber laughed.
The social aspect of a women's league is a big draw, but for Zuber, getting more opportunities to hit the ball is another.
"When playing co-ed you don't get to hit as much," Zuber said.
Shawna Ong, top, and Katy Schlicker warm up as the sunsets prior to taking the sand courts for ladies night volleyball at Mike Jacobs Sports Park, Thursday, March 16, 2017, Tucson, Ariz. Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Here's how it works
Any woman age 17-and-up can join. The league is welcoming to young and old.
If you have a team of six, you can sign your whole team up. It costs $189 for the team for the eight-week season. If you do not have a group, you can sign up individually for $32 and be placed on a team.
There are two divisions, so both beginners and more experienced women can play. If you're just starting out, you'd be on a silver team and eventually move up to gold.
There are games every Thursday night with 6:30 and 8 p.m. start times for eight weeks at Mike Jacobs Sports Park, 6901 N. Casa Grande Hwy. Toward the end of the eight weeks there is a tournament.
The next time you can sign up is in May.
Click here if you want to join or get more info.
