Volleyball is the second most popular sport for girls in the United States according to the National Federation of High Schools - ranking only behind track and field.

The game is played by 470,488 girls in grades 9 through 12 - and its popularity is on the rise with participation up 3.6 percent in the last year.

In Pennsylvania alone, there are 619 high schools that offer volleyball as a varsity girls’ sport according to the PIAA.

That popularity is also booming on the local scene with camps and clinics scheduled to take place throughout the summer at area high schools.

Lehighton High School was among the first to kick off the busy summer when it recently held a four-day volleyball camp for middle school and high school students.

The camp was attended by 38 girls and directed by Lehighton High School head volleyball coach Lauren Nietz. Players from Marian, Jim Thorpe, Panther Valley and Lehighton were among the attendees.

The thing that makes the Lehighton camp different from ost other area volleyball camps - or any sport camp in the area for that matter - is the amount of high-end talent that Nietz was able to bring in to help run drills.

“We were able to bring in four NCAA Division I college players who have a lot of experience they were able to share with our campers,” said Nietz. “We would like to make this an annual event.”

Among those taking a leadership role in devising skill drills for the campers was Lina Peragina whose volleyball experience comes from four years playing at Coastal Carolina and one year at Penn State. She was selected to the All-Sunbelt Conference Team while at Costal Carolina and was a member of the Nittany Lions’ team that had advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.

“We want to see Pennsylvania become a top state for girls’ volleyball,” she said. “We’re here to help grow the game.”

One of the drills she led at the camp she called, “high intensity chaos” where pivotal points in a match are won by the team who shows the most poise.

“Success in volleyball requires team communication,” said Peragina. “During the camp, we put the older girls in very uncomfortable game simulated situations where they were under pressure to perform at their best. For the younger girls, we taught proper ways to hit the ball and with them our goal was to raise their volleyball IQ.”

Another D1 volleyball player helping at the camp was Rachel Hess, who played at LaSalle and Towson Universities. At LaSalle, Hess was two-time Conference Defensive Player of the Week. At Towson, she helped the Tigers to three straight conference titles.

“We’re here because we’re sharing our love for the game,” said Hess. “When you have passion for the game, then the competitive edge brings the most fun you have during the matches.”

Ava Holden is a red shirt junior and plays volleyball for St. Frances University in PA. The Red Flash had advanced to the semifinals of the Northeast Conference this year.

“It’s our goal to help these girls reach their potential and realize their dream of being competent and successful volleyball players at their schools,” she said.

Macy Van-Den-Elzen from Penn State also led the campers in drills. She was recently selected to the Big Ten All-Academic team and was chosen to receive the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

“Volleyball has meant the world to me,” she said. “The rewards go far beyond the game on the court. You meet people you would never have met and you make best friends with someone that might never have happened without sharing the love and passion we have for the game.”

Peragini, who is a veteran instructor at volleyball clinics, was impressed by the efforts of all those who attended the Lehighton camp.

“This was the hardest working group I’ve ever seen,” she said. “They came here with an understanding of the opportunity to get better at playing volleyball and gave us all we had asked for.”

With the sport of volleyball continuing to increase in popularity - and talented players like Peragina, Hess, Holden and Van-Den-Elzen willing to share their knowledge and passion for the game with the next generation of players rising through the ranks - the future is bright for the sport.

The way these four proven performers “Shared their love” for volleyball this week in Lehighton is certainly going to help local high schools rise to a higher level of competition for years to come.