Data set

This study investigated the effects of real and virtual environments on volleyball serve performance under different anxiety conditions among nine female athletes from Turkey's 2nd League Women’s Volleyball teams. The research aimed to test assumptions of the ironic process theory, exploring how high-pressure situations might paradoxically increase performance errors despite focused mental control efforts.<b>Methodology and Techniques</b>: Participants, averaging 7.55 years of licensed playing experience, performed serves in both real and virtual reality (VR) setups, each under low and high anxiety conditions. Anxiety was manipulated in both settings: in the real environment, participants faced time constraints, while in the VR environment, rewards were offered alongside time pressure. Serve performance was evaluated for ironic errors, which occur when individuals fail in tasks specifically due to their attempts to avoid failure. The study used heart rate (HR) monitors and heart rate variability (r-MSSD) measurements to capture physiological responses under anxiety, alongside self-assessments of cognitive and somatic anxiety and self-confidence, evaluated through the Mental Readiness Form-3 (MRF-3). These measures provided both objective and subjective data on athletes' psychophysiological and mental states across different conditions.<b>Data Collection and Ethics</b>: All participants volunteered for the study, and data collection adhered to ethical guidelines, with informed consent obtained prior to participation. Confidentiality was maintained by anonymizing data for analysis, ensuring privacy compliance. The research was approved by an ethics committee, confirming adherence to legal and ethical standards for data collection.This detailed approach and methodological transparency provide a reproducible framework for similar studies. The structured data allows other researchers to replicate or build upon these findings, enhancing understanding of anxiety's role in sports performance and the potential benefits of VR training interventions.