The start of Thursday's Mid-Winter Volleyball Season was filled with a lot of smiles, much laughter, and yes, actual giggling...!

Whether they are serving it up, attempting a one-armed dig, or simply cheering for/laughing at their fellow teammates, these fun-filled faces from Notorious DIG (red),  #frittatasforever (daisy) and Sets on the Beach (kelly) lit up the courts in SoHo and warmed up the frosty winter air that was whipping outside:

You can just tell this is going to be an GREAT season filled with lots of FUN!

{also seen in photo above: Who Spiked Da Punch (black), The One Hitters (purple), and BGB (royal), bookeneded by The Net-Workers (lt blue)}

spike ¹  (spaɪk)
— verb

In Vollyeball: An action where the Attacker hits the ball sharply downwards with an overarm motion from the front of one's own court into the opposing court.

...That there is the definition of a Spike in Volleyball. But these Thursday players #frittatasforever (daisy), That's What She Sets (forrest), The One Hitters (purple), and Chug Monkeys (maroon) take it to another level and show us the Super Spike!

Next, I want to see you all elevate it even more and create the Super SOCIAL Spike! Can you do it? Show us...

There are many many many different types of "Sets" in Volleyball, but for the purpose of this blog entry, we are going to be VERY general...

Please refer to http://volleyball.about.com/od/learntoplay/a/How-To_Set.htm for an easy explaination of Setting in Volleyball.

Now... Are you "all set" to play some Volleyball? These Thursday players are...!

Chug Monkeys (maroon), The Net-Workers (light blue), The One Hitters (purple), and That's What She Sets (forrest) sets it all up for you in the Gallery above...

It might be hot out there, but these Kickballers didn’t need any AC to make the Lower East Side the coolest spot to be Thursday night.  Sixteen teams came out for the Playoffs, all seeking the coveted Gold Medals and NYC Social infamy.

Simon may have had Garfunkel but Seal Team Kix (military) had the Eighth Graders (jade).  Thursday LES Kickball’s Bronze Medalists were there in full force to support their fellow ‘ballers as they took on Dharma (lime) in the “Simon” Championship game (after a quick pizza stop, that is).  The two top teams certainly didn’t disappoint!  After a true slugging match and some big hits by both teams, Seal Team Kix played some shut down defense and pulled out an 8-5 win.

Meanwhile, in the “Garfunkel” division, New Kicks on the Block (black) took on POKO (irish) in the semifinals and emerged victorious, but that didn’t stop POKO from hitting the bar and showing us how they earned the prestigious title of Bar Champs!  It was the The One Hitters (cardinal) and Team in YO Face (royal) on Court C in another gripping semifinal match.  When Team in YO Face went up 4-1 in the top of the final inning, one team member said it best: “We’re three outs away! Three outs from that championship!”

Three outs later, it was time for a championship indeed!  New Kicks on the Block showed us that they really were made of the “Right Stuff” (I couldn't resist) when they went up by six runs in the first inning.  Team in YO Face fought back hard with a two-run homer in the second but NKOTB’s shut down defense guaranteed them a spot in the Hall of Champions.

NKOTB's team members shared some of their keys to victory:

1.  “Cheer louder than the other team”

2.  “Go to the bar as a team” (definitely key for team bonding)

3.  “Have the heart of a lion… or lioness”

...they also provided their fiercest pose:

Great tips to remember next season!  Congrats to all our teams!