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The Harvard men’s volleyball team is off the bench.

Donning crimson libero jerseys or normal white shirts, clutching half-filled water bottles or nothing at all, team members stand in a rough line, clapping and hooting above each other’s shoulders. The atmosphere signals pressure and importance—that this lively moment is the one that will determine the outcome.

But there’s a slight problem—it’s only the first point of the match.

For a sport that requires only five players a side, involves no violent collisions, and often takes place in converted basketball gyms, men’s volleyball sure knows how to fill a court with noise.

The game action is relatively quiet—aside from thwacks and orderly whistles, it’s easy enough to hold a conversation with a seatmate.

But the torrent of shouts, smacked hands, and sideline roars begins when the points end. Then on the bench, players high five and shout encouragement. On the court, anything goes.

“As far as the celebration stuff, it just comes out naturally,” senior outside hitter Alec Schlossman said. “We’re excited to be playing together.”

This culture of excitement is not unique to the Crimson. Indeed the tradition of bench members not actually using the bench is common to most levels of volleyball, from high school teams to national programs.

The same goes for on-court interactions, and half of the thrill of watching volleyball is witnessing the ritualized congratulations that players exchange after points.

Yet this year’s Harvard squad takes special pride in staying active. At a minimum, there is the vocabulary—one of the most frequent descriptions of the team is “high-energy.”

“As I’ve been talking about all season, we’re a high-energy team,” captain Branden Clemens said. “We’re able to stay crisp and clean and execute well. Having that combination with the high energy is pretty tough to beat.”

After every point, win or lose, the players on the court circle in the center. They slap hands, pat backs, and exchange brief words before returning to their positions.

Part of the energy is a function of the team’s size. At 11 players, the men’s volleyball program is one of the smaller teams on campus, and according to Clemens, this affects community.

“We’re genuinely happy to see ourselves do well and see our hard work manifest itself in good play,” Clemens said. “There’s such a passion and desire to win that you kind of feel it.”