The boys’ volleyball teams headed down south for the inaugural South Korea Association of International Schools (SKAIS) tournament at Busan Foreign School (BFS) on Oct. 17. with three squads on the roster, each headed for their goal: varsity targeted their three-peat, junior varsity (JV) went for the trophy, and JV2 set their sights on a ticket to the finals. The team returned with two new trophies to display in the home of the Jets.
DIS counted down the days to the tourney from the first day of the season. With Coach Willette’s arrival on the team, the squad improved tactically. Friendly matches against Daegu Middle High School (DMHS) both home and away served as a strong foundation, allowing veterans to synchronize with newcomers.
As previous champions, the Jets entered the court with an air of confidence. The varsity team floored Gyeongnam International Foreign School (GIFS) in their first match with set scores of 25:9 and 25:15. Immaculate passes from the back row and monster blocks by Haydn Mangione (number 56) and Colin Ji (number 0) made DIS impenetrable.
Right after, they clashed against the BFS Sharks. The court brimmed with tension, but the boys maintained their tempo. Senior captains Ethan Rossmeisl (number 5) and Colin Ji calmed the team with their expertise during big game moments (25:13, 25:19).
“Lots of good hitters. DIS had lots of improvements since last year, so many good sophomores on the roster, and Ethan improved a lot from last year. It’s really tough to fight a team with good attack and defense,” BFS middle blocker Egor Iun said.
After lunch, varsity knocked out the ISB Bears with set scores of 25:19 and 25:17. With the ticket to the finals already secured, the squad coasted with less pressure. YiManuel Cortez (number 9), the A team newcomer, meticulously tipped the ball over the Bears’ blocks.
However, the JV2 team, consisting only of freshmen players, not only struggled to adapt to the high school nets, but also put up with unfavorable ref calls in the game against ISB2. “We missed a lot of good opportunities. The ref calls weren’t the best, and I think we could have won if it weren’t the refs,” said freshman Captain Hans Park (number 15).
Mr. Bergan said. “I think part of it is language. The refs have different rules they’re used to, so I think it was something lost in translation [from Korean to English]. It’s just part of the tournament, we have to adapt to it, but I hope it’s more clearly explained to students, teachers, and refs.”
After the round-robin came to an end, JV2, which advanced as the fourth seed, avenged ISB3 to clinch third place. Varsity advanced to the finals with a shutout alongside JV1, who went undefeated.
The JV1 squad blasted off the heat of the finals against ISB2. All players, from Alex Seo (number 12), the only freshman, to sophomore and junior veterans, supported one another. While the Jets took the first set with ease, intense rallies and tight points peppered the second. However, DIS came on top of it all and took the trophy with set scores of 25:12 and 25:27.
As the JV members ended their finals, the DIS varsity team stepped up as a maestro on the court. As back-to-back champions, the squad had nothing to fear. “Once you play two years in the finals, you really get the hang of it. Even before entering the court, we knew we were going to win,” said Mangione.
However, the Sharks opened with greater intensity. BFS took a solid lead in the first set with powerful middle hits, but the Jets held their ground. Quick-tempo hits by middle-setter duo Bryan Lee (number 43) and Colin Ji alongside Justin Son’s (number 35) floater aces confused the Sharks’ defense.
“It was really good to fight against DIS in the finals again because we lost to DIS earlier in the day. To have such a close two sets in the finals, it’s a shame we couldn’t take the victory, but we are very happy with the results,” said BFS Coach Barnes.
Roars from the Jets echoed through the BFS gym as Colin Ji swung through for the final point. With scores of 26:24 and 25:23, DIS picked up their three-peat trophy at the home of the Sharks. “I was really confident because we beat BFS in the previous game by a pretty big difference. The receive I did before I made the last hit, was really out of pocket, it was just instinct, and I had to adjust to hitting the ball, but to see the ball hit the ground, it was a real thriller,” said Colin Ji, a veteran who saw all three championships.
“It felt really good. It’s the players who have worked hard for it; they’re very deserving. To win a tournament three times in a row shows the consistency of the program of not just relying on one grade of kids but kids from every grade to fill in for the people that left,” said Coach Bergan.
Alongside the three-peat trophy, Bryan Lee, Haydn Mangione, and Colin Ji, attained the all-tournament award among other talented peers. Ethan Rossmisel received the all-tournament team captain award.
Mangione expressed his thrill to win the trophy and all-tournament team award. “It was very successful. The boys’ varsity three-peated, and I couldn’t be happier with our performance. Everyone played exceptionally, Bryan gave me lots of great sets and I’m looking forward to KISAC,” said Mangione.
Coach Bergan said, “I was happy with all three teams, everyone got better throughout the day, and they all ended in a win. Of course it’s good to win a tournament like that but also to continue the momentum into KISAC.” He proudly awaits for more development around all grades.
The three-peat victory makes a mark in the history of the team and builds a solid foundation for the upcoming Korean International Schools Activities Conference (KISAC) tournament on Oct. 24 to 26. With three down and one to go, the Jets set their sights on a trophy at KISAC.
