One of the University of South Carolina's fastest-growing on-campus activities is pickleball, a tennis-like sport that's recently become popular in the United States.
Pickleball involves players lobbing a ball back and forth over a net for points. Points are typically won by the serving team, which alternates every possession. Pickleball can be played with singles (two players) or doubles (four players), and games are typically played to 11, 15 or 21 points.
Teams also earn points for rallies, which occur when the ball goes back and forth over the net. Teams can volley the ball between each other or play it off the bounce.
"It's kind of tennis, just smaller," second-year international business and marketing student James O'Connell said. "There's a couple of unique rules it has, which are pretty easy to figure out."
Pickleball is typically played on a 20-by-44-foot court. USC's campus does not have pickleball courts, so students are opting to play on tennis courts instead. The Blatt tennis courts are a popular spot where students can be seen playing after class.
The sport uses smaller, more affordable racquets than tennis or badminton. Second-year international business and operations and supply chain student Colin Terracciano said pickleball's affordability and ease of play have helped make it an on-campus staple.
"It's a small court, so you don't need to be super fit to do it," Terracciano said. "It's good exercise, but also a paddle and a ball you could get for less than $35, so I think it's a good way to get involved and get active."
Terracciano said he was unsure of pickleball initially, but he has grown to enjoy it. He and O'Connell are teammates on the intramural pickleball team. Intramural players frequently meet up with each other outside of scheduled games to play pickleball.
"I was skeptical of the sport at first," Terracciano said."After I played with my friends, I really enjoyed it and learned a lot about the sport and the benefits of it. It's a lot of fun, it's competitive and it's easy to learn."
Students can also join the Carolina Pickleball Club, which was founded in 2024 by second-year operations and supply chain student Jade Parker. The club competes in local tournaments and holds tryouts each semester.
One of its top players is fourth-year operations and supply chain student Avery Blevins, who joined the club this year. Blevins finished in first place in the Men's Doubles 3.0 division of the 24 Hour Pickleball March Madness tournament. Blevins and the club also competed in the Coastal Cup in Conway, South Carolina.
"My most recent tournament, we played Coastal Carolina and (the) College of Charleston," Blevins said. "Me and my teammate went like 6-2. We ended up losing in the semifinals, but it was a good time."
The pickleball club has around 25 members and has grown rapidly since the fall, according to first-year pre-business student Andrew English. It posts tournament results and tryout information on its Instagram page.
"The club definitely grew exponentially this past semester as it got more recognition," English said."More people started coming out just from word of mouth," English said.
Pickleball games typically last 15-30 minutes in length. Matches, which include a set of three games, can take up to an hour. The sport has similar rules to tennis, making it easy for former players to adjust to pickleball. English said the club puts players in a competitive environment that requires more strategy.
"You learn a little bit more strategy," English said. "The game gets way more complex, and it's not just hitting back and forth anymore; it's being precise about your shots. You constantly want to improve and keep playing."
The club features students of different ages, areas of study and backgrounds. Male and female players frequently play in singles or doubles matches together, which differs from other sports.
"It's a blast because there's a low barrier to entry," Blevins said. "Anyone can go out, and after a few months, you'll be able to hang with players who've been playing a while."
Blevins said he's made friends and connected with new people while playing.
"You meet all sorts of people playing pickleball," Blevins said. "I've developed friendships with a lot of the guys on the club team."