The middle school boys volleyball team headed down to Busan Foreign School (BFS) for their first tournament of the year on Feb. 7-8. The Korean International School Activities Conference (KISAC) invited six different schools to the tourney: St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju (SJA), Korea International School of Jeju (KISJ), North London Collegiate School (NLCS), Busan Foreign School (BFS), Branksome Hall Asia (BHA), and DIS. Varsity finished fifth, while junior varsity (JV) secured fourth after a tough two-day battle.
Varsity kick-started day one against the reigning champs, the SJA Hilltoppers. While the boys entered as underdogs, they started strong. Libero Min Kim (number 32) delivered pinpoint passes to setter Daniel Kim (number 21), as they struck down tips and hits. However, after a few rallies, they started to lose focus. SJA dominated, landing spikes down the three-meter line and snapping hopes for a comeback (25:15, 25:11).
After a break, the Jets squared off against the BFS Sharks. Unlike last year’s stronghold against the Sharks, DIS showed some cracks. While set one seemed tight at 18:25, set two slipped away in a lopsided 7:25 defeat due to serve reception errors and service faults.
Nevertheless, the squad gained invaluable experience. “Throughout the tournament, we developed a lot in diverse areas. There were games that we could have won, just like the game against BFS, but we just couldn’t reach the win,” varsity outside hitter Kevin Ahn said.
Immediately after, varsity clashed against the BHA Bears in a grudge match. Despite two consecutive losses, they remained in sync and executed their plays with confidence. After a narrow deuce win in set one (26:24), BHA took the second set (25:23). The third set flowed into a deuce once again, and yet again, the Bears took the set (16:14).
For the last match of the day, the Jets took on the NLCS Orcas. Through long rallies, back and forth like ping-pong, intensity built and the Orcas gained control. The Jets failed to stage a comeback and fell 25:18 and 25:19 respectively, entering as the last seed for the second day.
Varsity opened day two with a rocky start, taking on the KISJ Dragons for their final match of the round robin. Although Steven Jang (number 1)’s back-row defense strengthened their serve receptions and Kevin Ahn (number 27) ’s jump floater serves penetrated the Dragons’ defense, KISJ proved too strong for the Jets (25:13, 25:14).
They entered the playoffs as the lowest ranked, and aimed for redemption in a rematch against BFS. While the Sharks took the first set (25:20), the Jets bounced back in the second with Charlie Park’s (number 23) spikes downcourt (25:17). However, the squad struggled to maintain their momentum (15:11) and concluded their two-day journey.
“It was a fun experience to play against diverse teams, especially against DIS. Both matches were intense, and although we felt nervous at the start, once we got into the court, we started to go with the flow. Both teams fought really hard,” BFS varsity ace player George Markakis said.
While the varsity team struggled to adapt, JV returned with optimism. Despite the absence of Coach Couture, student coaches Alex Seo, Maddox Jolly, and Jayden Hayward led with tempo. JV fought hard in all four matches, keeping the scores tight despite physical differences and limited experience. Overall, they ended the round-robin with one win and three losses, securing the fourth seed for day two.
JV kicked off the elimination rounds in a battle against BFS. They carried their momentum from the previous day’s victory over the Sharks. Captain Sean Kim (number 7) and setter Aiden Hwang (number 18) dominated and advanced to the semifinals with set scores of 25:16 and 25:23.
The JV Jets then vied off against first seed KISJ Dragons in the semis. While the Dragons dominated set one (25-13), the Jets fought back to take the second (25:21). However, the inexperienced B team crumbled under pressure and fell short for the ticket to the finals (15:13).
In the bronze medal match, they moved on to face the Orcas. After an intense bout against KISJ, they regained their momentum and swept through the first set (25:13). However, due to the prolonged matches, they quickly ran out of energy, falling short of the podium (25:23, 15:11).
“We improved a lot, and all our players played really well. We were so close to winning third, but we just didn’t have the confidence to do so. I’m excited to win the upcoming tournament,” JV setter Aiden Hwang said.
While both teams missed spots atop the podium, they gained insight into the game of volleyball. Full of excitement and grit, the boys prepare for the upcoming South Korea Association of International Schools (SKAIS) championships on Feb. 20, where they aim for a three-peatFsync.
