The boys’ volleyball team flew down to Jeju for the Korean International School Activities Conference (KISAC) championships held at Korea International School of Jeju (KISJ) and North London Collegiate School (NLCS) from Oct. 24 to Oct. 26. Coming off last year’s second-place finish in KISAC and a recent victory in the South Korea Association of International Schools (SKAIS) tourney, all three teams entered the court with high expectations. Varsity wore bronze, while junior varsity (JV) 1 wore silver around their neck. 

The varsity team kick-started day one against Fayston Preparatory of Suji (FPS). The Jets beat them with ease in a mismatch. Middle blockers Colin Ji (number 0) and Haydn Mangione (number 56) once again formed an impenetrable wall at the net. The game concluded with set scores of 25:14 and 25:10. 

After lunch, the Jets clashed against the North London Collegiate School (NLCS) Orcas in a grudge match. The long break in between games disrupted their flow, which caused them to drop the first set to the Orcas (25:18). However, they bounced back in the second set. Bryan Lee (number 43) and Colin Ji’s double block earned them a narrow win in a deuce (26:24). Unfortunately, the crew failed to carry their momentum into the third set, falling short of the victory with scores of 17:16. 

For the day’s final match, the Jets squared off against the St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju (SJAJ) Hilltoppers. They needed to secure a win for a shot at the championship trophy. Despite their efforts, the Hilltoppers’ flawless performance shut down the team’s hopes with set scores of 25:22 and 25:19. 

“This year I got to fill in the shoes of Dylan [former Jets varsity setter] and it was an exciting experience to play even though I was one of the shortest players on the team. It was demanding sometimes, but at the end of each game, there was a sense of accomplishment. [SJAJ] was a good team, but they were beatable, honestly. We did lose the game, but we shouldn’t have,” said setter Bryan Lee. 

At the home of the Orcas, the JV1 squad swept all three matches: NLCS (25:12, 25:19), SJAJ (25:16, 26:24), and DIS JV2 (25:12, 25:18). Despite the absence of Coach Willette, Coach Dennard perfectly executed her role and guided them to victory.  

“I was pretty nervous about doing it, since I really didn’t know much about the players but it was a lot of fun. The boys were all pretty positive, they played a great tournament and they didn’t require me to do much, besides small pep talks in between. They’re a great group of boys, and I hope they succeed more next year,” said Coach Dennard. 

Day one ended with mixed results. Varsity experienced ups and downs, JV1 delivered strong performances, while JV2, unfortunately, ended at the bottom of the table. However, they spent the evening recovering their condition and reviewing their plays to fix blunders.

Day two started in no time. The varsity crew faced the defending KISAC champs, the KISJ Dragons. Set one flowed with the Dragons’ dominance on the court, as the team struggled against KISJ’s swift attacks and solid defense (25:11). In set two, the Jets held a marginal lead, but a series of serve misses allowed the Dragons to stage a comeback and take the game (25:21).

With one win and two losses, they needed a win against Busan Foreign School (BFS) Sharks to secure a spot in the third-place match. Drawing from the positive results at the SKAIS tourney, the players proved their capability to control the game, taking the first set (25:22). They faced obstacles (25:23), but they recovered quickly to take the battle (15:10). 

The Jets then faced off against the Orcas to get their revenge and win the bronze medal. The first set opened with intensity, as both exchanged points like a game of ping-pong, but NLCS managed to pull ahead (25:19). However, the Jets bounced back in Set 2. They corrected their mistakes, and Ethan Rossmeisl (number 5) smashed the ball into the court to win the set (25:23). 

The third set, expected to be a fierce battle, came to an anticlimactic end. On a hot streak in an 8-0 lead, the Jets crushed down powerful hits and put on their best performance of the tourney (15:6). Although they fell short of the finals, they pushed through the third-place match to land a spot on the podium. 

Meanwhile, Rossmeisl ended his high school volleyball career on a high note with a back-to-back all-tournament award alongside his bronze medal. “It was kind of obvious, honestly, I knew it was going to happen: ever since the season started, I acted as a leader and the team’s consistency, and I just went up there, played my best, and I really think it showed through the award,” said Rossmeisl. 

Meanwhile, the JV1 team entered their dream stage against the KISJ Dragons – after flooring SJAJ in the semis. Although the Jets aimed for gold, the defending champion took both sets (25:23, 25:18). 

“It was a surreal feeling. I feel like I learned a lot, and it was one of the best years because of such a good team and great chemistry we had. We went undefeated on day one, but sadly we lost to KISJ on day two. It showed that we had room for improvement, and I’m still satisfied with the results,” said outside hitter Noah Hwang (number 22). 

The Jets concluded the season on the podium in the big leagues. Alongside results, the invaluable experience lays the groundwork for victories in future tournaments and friendlies.