For the 2nd time – Boys Volleyball 23

As mentioned in a CAS post early our goal for this year’s SAISA volleyball was to win it again. I can proudly say that we fulfilled the goal with limited trouble.

Our first game of the day was Lincoln School, coming into the tournament I was a bit worried about how challenging the game would be. We won the first set with no trouble but the second was a setback, losing unnecessary points by easy mistakes.  We came back in the second set to win the game. Moving forward all the way to the final day, the team has not lost a set yet.

The quarter-finals were against the AISC Raptors. The Raptors had great team chemistry and mentality. The first set was won with a bit of a gap but the second saw us with an opposing team filled with energy and motivation after their set lost. They would push us to set point going back and forth but the Geckos had the mentality of not wanting to lose a set the whole tournament.

The semifinals would be played against Lincoln. Previously played against them in the group stage we knew they were going to come back much stronger with a concrete mentality. But ours was kept tight even though we one the first game against them and did not underestimate the opponents. We would win the game with two sets for us playing the second set close with the points 25-20.

Waiting for the finals against TAISM for a long time we made sure to hydrate and recover as best. Time went fast but the nervousness lingered throughout my body even though I had no doubt in my team. The home crowd was ecstatic, so the team had to make sure we wouldn’t go home as disappointment. Even though deep down I was feeling tried and the game would commence late in the night I was probably the most excited and energetic for the finals. First set started and I was shocked to how much more I needed to do as a Libero when my opponent was competing at a higher level than the rest of the teams in the tournament. Felt like a long first set we would win it with a close gap. The second set was a loss as we did not keep our mentality strong as first set but we pulled it back for the third and won it. As the fourth started we didn’t want to lose any more sets in the tournament so we needed to conquer 4th set as quickly as possible. It started rough for TAISM and gave us some silly points. With their mentality on the low, ours didn’t ease and it we would give every drop of our energy to win the finals. 3-1 would be the final score earning the FIRST PLACE Volleyball trophy for the second time in a row. Time, dedication, and skills were showcased during the 4 months of training and competition. Being the last line of defense constant pressure was applied. But through teamwork and persistence, the team claimed the gold medal.