The DIS volleyball team launched into practice to start Season 1 of sports on Aug. 26. They pushed hard from Day 1 in hopes of a three-peat after last year’s close loss at the Korea International Schools Activities Conference Volleyball Tournament. The freshmen have big shoes to fill, but they need time to adjust to the big leagues. 

Although the middle school boys hoisted the trophy at the South Korean Athletic Conference (SKAC) finals and clinched third at KISAC, they struggled to adjust to high school standards in their first practice. “It’s much more difficult since the net is higher and since there’s more people, it’s harder to get more practice in. The high schoolers are also much taller and more skilled,” Lian Seok in ninth grade said. Throughout the afternoon, the freshmen attempted to pierce the upperclassmen’s defense, but they found little success. 

With a large ninth grade group and the first triple-crown in DIS volleyball history on the line, the stakes are high. The Jets have a reputation to uphold and a KISAC championship match against Korea International School Jeju (KISJ) to avenge. “In KISAC, last year we showed really good volleyball at our first tournament against the Jeju schools. Considering our school size, the Jeju schools were really impressed with how well-balanced and talented our roster was. I guess this is where the pressure comes from: we have to get better than last year to now make it to the championship and win the championship game in Jeju as well,” varsity middle blocker Colin Ji said. 

On the bright side, the squad foresees an easier battle to the championships at the inaugural South Korean Association of International Schools (SKAIS) Volleyball Tournament as Handong International School (HIS), the Jets’ rivals, dropped out. “[SKAIS is] ultimately the same conference, but it will kind of hurt missing HIS because they often brought some competitive teams and some bigger teams. It’s going to take the competition down a little bit, but BFS and ISB will still be there. So there are still some teams to compete against,” Mr. Bergan said.

However, the smaller league may put the Jets at a disadvantage for KISAC. “HIS was our biggest competitor: they were the only team we lost a set to at the [SKAC] Finals and a game at the Invitationals. That really got us into the super competitive mode and we were focused. It’s a disadvantage to us when we go to KISAC because we’re losing that competition beforehand,” Ji said. 

The Jets duel against Daegu Middle High School (DMHS) on Sept. 12. In October, the Jets compete almost every week, with a crosstown spar on Oct. 7 and the SKAIS tournament on Oct. 17 at the International School of Busan. For their final hurrah, the team faces off against schools at the KISAC Volleyball Tournament from the 24th to the 26th. 

August started off with a mix of excitement and worries, but Bergan sees a potential for growth, especially for the rookies. “My expectation was that there was going to be some confusion, some learning that was going to need to be happening and that’s exactly what we saw there; it’s a different speed than what it is for middle school, so they have to stay focused and learn. It was about how I expected them to be.” Bergan said. 

With the roster and track record in their favor, the boys look to reap the fruits of their labor with a three-peat at SKAIS and a championship at KISAC. “We’re excited to have a big group, a good group of kids: last year’s middle schoolers won SKAC and got third in KISAC,” Bergan said. “We’ve got some boys that are competitive and have had some success and we have to try and roll that into even more success.”