The barrier that divides the court in half, standing 3 feet (0.914 m) high at the center and 3.5 feet (1.07 m) at the net posts. The center is lower than the sides, which is why hitting crosscourt gives you a bigger margin than hitting down the line. Every inch of height matters when the ball catches the tape and drops on one side or the other.
"The ball catches the top of the net and rolls over. Net cord winner. She raises her hand to apologize."