Position-Specific Workload, Neuromuscular Performance, and Wellness Across a Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Season: A Longitudinal Monitoring Study

This study described position-specific external and internal workload across a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men’s volleyball season and examined weekly associations between workload, countermovement jump (CMJ) performance, and wellness. Eighteen athletes were monitored over 15 weeks (51 practices, 22 matches) using waist-worn inertial measurement units, session rating of perceived exertion, weekly force-plate CMJs, and wellness questionnaires. Athletes accumulated 5852 ± 1620 jumps (36 ± 10 per hour of exposure), with similar exposure across positions. Setters performed more jumps than outside hitters, cumulatively and per hour (Bonferroni-adjusted p < 0.01); other positional differences were not statistically supported. In linear mixed models, more weekly jumps ≤ 38.1 cm were associated with a lower modified reactive strength index (−0.022 per 100 jumps; false discovery rate q < 0.05). More jumps between 38.1 and 50.8 cm were associated with higher concentric peak force (+64 N per 100 jumps), although this association was influenced by a small number of high-load athlete-weeks and should be considered exploratory. Jump height declined by 0.12 cm per week. These exploratory findings suggest that jump-height distribution may be relevant when interpreting weekly workload.