FIU Roundnet Club: Friendly game meets high-intensity competition

Bautista Samperi | Contributing writer

Four friends circle around a trampoline-like net. Their quick, sharp breaths are drowned out by the sound of a ball whizzing past and its subsequent twang as its spiked hard to the floor. 

The ball elevates. Three stand watching. One jumps, cocking his arm fully behind his head. The ball is hit with tremendous force, bouncing sharply off the net. A player dives to save it, but they just miss it. 

And that’s game. 

That entire sequence is just a glimpse of the fast-paced action that roundnet has to offer. 

The FIU roundnet club offers students high-intensity competition anywhere they go. 

Established in 2021, the roundnet club started as a group of friends getting together to play for fun in Parkview and has since turned into a community where students can go to meet new people and participate in a competitive yet friendly environment. 

Roundnet, also known as spikeball, is rapidly becoming one of the most popular sports, given that its portable nature makes it easy to play in many different scenarios. From parks to beaches to backyards, almost any outdoor setting can be the perfect place for a quick match.

The sport consists of two teams with two members each, hitting a ball into a small round net forcing the opposite team to return it. Points are scored when one of the teams fails to return a hit and the ball touches the ground.  Games are usually played to 11,15 or 21 and the game has to be won by two points or more.

At first glance it may not look like an intense game. However, it requires reflexes, strategic thinking and a lot of teamwork to be able to dominate and outsmart your opponent. 

One of the standout features of the FIU roundnet club is its welcoming nature and inclusivity. New members don’t need to have any previous knowledge of the sport or any other sport. They are provided with the tools and guidance to learn and enjoy. 

As the club’s Vice President Justin Martinez puts it, “in every sport you have to be some type of athletic, but anybody can play, anybody can join.”

Martinez has been with the club since 2021 and has seen the club grow into what it is today. Now, the club consists of around 40 official members, but the community of players that comes together to compete on campus is over 100 people. 

In the early days of the club, Daniel Gonzalez, the club’s president, and some friends would always play in Parkview at the same time on Mondays and Thursdays. Gradually, people who were passing by started to join. 

Afterwards, a WhatsApp group, Discord and an Instagram account were created to get the word out and recruit new members. That along with tabling around the FIU campus helped create the community the team has today. 

There are many different tournaments that the club participates in. The inter-university tournaments provide a great learning experience and bonding opportunity for the members.  

Anthony Ortiz, one of the members of the club, encourages students to participate and not be scared to come out and play.

“The best advice is to just go for it, just try it out because you end up meeting amazing people.” 

Anthony Ortiz

Many members of the club have some previous experience with different sports such as soccer, tennis and volleyball. They all found that roundnet helps them stay active and engage in fierce competition.  

“Teamwork is really big: that’s one thing you learn and is different from other sports,” said Ortiz. 

“In spikeball you’re with one other person and it really makes a difference in the chemistry, how you guys communicate with each other and how you guys motivate each other, that influences the experience of spikeball a lot.”

Through long hours of play and competition, the members of the club develop a bond outside of Spikeball. Ortiz has only been a part of the club for a few months but has already made countless new friends. 

“Everyone is super welcoming,” said Ortiz. “The president, Daniel Gonzalez, is a great friend of mine now and we’ve only known each other for six months. It’s the same with the other people there.”

Along with spending time with their teammates and creating a lasting bond, this club competes at a high level. The different tournaments help the club and the members to further develop their skills, gain confidence and build character. 

The competitive side of the sport adds a great element to the club, providing a unique experience and opportunity for the organization to make an impact in the local scene and to bring attention to the sport both in FIU and in the community.