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Abstract Background The long-term monitoring of internal and external training load is crucial for the training effectiveness of athletes. This study aims to quantify the internal and external training loads of collegiate male volleyball players during the competitive season. The internal and external training load variables were analyzed across mesocycles and playing positions. Methods Fourteen participants with age of 20.2 ± 1.3 years, height of 1.81 ± 0.05 m, and body weight of 70.8 ± 5.9 kg were recruited. The data were collected over a 29-week period that was divided into four mesocycles: preparation 1 (P1, weeks 1–7), competition 1 (C1, weeks 8–14, including a 5-day tournament in week 14), preparation 2 (P2, weeks 15–23), and competition 2 (C2, weeks 24–29, including a 6-day tournament in week 29). Each participant wore an inertial measurement unit and reported the rating of perceived exertion in each training session. The internal training load variables included weekly session rating of perceived exertion, acute: chronic workload ratio, and training monotony and strain. The external training load variables included jump count and height and the percentage of jumps exceeding 80% of maximal height. Results C2 had the highest average weekly internal training load (3022 ± 849 AU), whereas P2 had the highest average weekly acute: chronic workload ratio (1.46 ± 0.13 AU). The number of weekly jumps in C1 (466.0 ± 176.8) was significantly higher than in other mesocycles. Weekly jump height was significantly higher in C1, P2, and C2. Internal training load was positively correlated with jump count (ρ = 0.477, p |