I had intended, but forgot (it was late) to mention that last night’s match was the Gophers’ first where both teams were masked. Given that every player on both teams wore masks, I assume that this was agreed upon in advance.
If you haven’t played volleyball wearing a mask, you might think it a bigger deal than it really is. My geezer volleyball group has worn masks since our season started in late September. I thought it would be terrible, and a few guys groused about it at first, but we’ve gotten used to it. It’s worse if you wear glasses, because they tend to fog up, but none of the Gopher or Badger players were wearing contacts. Probably some wear contacts, as I do for volleyball, but my mask does not affect my contacts.
My mask does jiggle out of place at times, requiring me to adjust it between points, and sometimes even during a live-ball situation, which can be distracting. But I’ve gotten used to that also. And the masks worn by the Gophers and Badgers last night seemed more sophisticated than the generic surgical mask I’m wearing, so maybe even less problematic.