As girls volleyball gains in popularity, we have an important warning from an expert at U-W.

50 percent of female volleyball players in Wisconsin are now playing year-round. But that leads to more injuries. Local experts are concerned that constantly subjecting a young athlete's body to jumps on a hardwood floor can cause problems.

Athletic trainer Tim McGuine, a researcher with U-W's Sports Medicine Center, surveyed more than 400 high school girls volleyball players at 18 schools across the state this past year. He found many trends... including that more than 30 percent of players reported using an ankle brace and even a *mild* previous injury was a strong indicator of a future one.

The study emphasizes the need for these players to do more pre-season conditioning and training to learn proper techniques and strengthen injury-prone areas.