COLUMBUS, Neb. -- A high school volleyball team in Platte County participated in a unique practice on Monday.

Members of the United States Marine Corps took charge of the Columbus High School volleyball team's practice early Monday morning. 

CHS Head Coach Jeri Otton reached out to the Marine Corps so her team could experience a different type of team building.

Sgt. Jose Torres of the USMC said that Monday's practice was a great way of getting players out of their comfort zone and to help build chemistry among the team.

"A lot of coaches want to reinforce that team aspect mentality," Torres said. "As much as they deal with their students, their athletes on a day-to-day basis, when you come and contact the Marine Corps and you throw it in the students' faces, they are a little more blown away; it gets them out of their comfort zone, and shows them a different perspective when it comes to that team aspect." 

The volleyball team participated in a combat fitness test which is made up of three different drills.

First, the team ran an 880-yard dash consisting of two laps around the track.

After the dash, they broke up into pairs of twos and participated in ammunition can lifts where they would lift the can over their head as many times as they could within two minutes.

The day ended with a maneuver-under-fire simulation event, which was a simulated obstacle course that contained sprinting, body dragging, crawling, and carrying ammunition cans.

Torres said that the test will also help athletes improve their mentality, not only on the volleyball court, but in their daily lives.

"No matter what kind of obstacle comes in front of them, as long as they look at in a way of knowing they can do it as a team or even as an individual, they can overcome it," Torres said. "This will help them out, in the long run, knowing they did this rigorous exercise when it comes to the physical or mental aspect of it, and putting them forward to the volleyball season coming up or life-to-life."

This was the first time that the Marines held a practice at Columbus High School.

They added that they would like to return to the high school in the future to work with other teams.

The Discoverers open their season on Aug. 25 at home against Fremont.