The high school girls’ varsity volleyball team traveled to North London Collegiate School (NLCS) for the Korea International Schools Athletic Conference (KISAC), while JV competed at home from Oct. 26 to Oct. 27. After two days of competitive matchups, varsity earned third place and JV finished second-place, claiming the first ever podium finish at the tournament.

The varsity girls started off strong in a matchup against Busan Foreign School (BFS). They commanded the court with relentless rallies and sharp finishes. Thanks to their extra practice hours and strong coaching, DIS outperformed BFS, securing a well-deserved victory over the Sharks. (2:1)

Building on their early success, the squad regrouped after a short lunch break to take on Fayston Preparatory School. They easily wrapped up the match with a set score of 2:0 without difficulty (25:9 and 25:18).

Nevertheless, the final two games challenged the girls’ victory streak. Last year’s champions North London Collegiate School (NLCS) led to the first loss of the day. Though they battled with determination, lapses in communication and a few service errors ultimately cost them the match (10:25 and 18:25). 

Still, strong serves from the Jets allowed for an intense round. “I really loved playing with DIS because their receives and serves were really firm, and I thought it was an intense game, ” said NLCS outside hitter Harang Park.

Learning from past mix-ups during the match, the team walked onto the court revitalized for their last game for the day: KISJ. With renewed energy, they took the flow of the first set, supporting one another on and off the court (19:25).

However, in the second set, the varsity girls let their guard down. KISJ staged a comeback with relentless serves and sharp attacks that exploited gaps in the Jets’ defense, shaking the squad’s composure (16:25). The final set proved to be the toughest yet. After switching sides, Mrs. Jolly’s pep talk reignited their energy, and they fought for points to clinch a hard-fought 15:11 victory. 

“DIS got stronger than last year, so I was kind of surprised. They got better serves and better spikes. We thought that we might meet DIS in the finals,” said KISJ captain and opposite hitter  Jiyul Park.

On day 2, varsity advanced to the semifinals after a hard-fought win over SJA (2:1). In a rematch against NLCS, DIS started stronger than before, posting set scores 15:25 and 17:25. However, the Orcas’ dominant serves widened the gap and sent DIS to the third-place match.

Determined to claim the bronze, the girls faced BFS once again. The Sharks struck first, edging out the opening set in a tight rally (22:25). But DIS flipped the momentum in the second, dominating with sharp teamwork and powerful hits to take the set by 15 points (25:10). 

Throughout the match, their energy never wavered as they cheered each other on through every play. “We have to support each other all the time. If we make a mistake, everyone on the court has to go over to that person and boost them up. If you’re not playing and you’re on the bench, you still have to boost them up. I think that we were really supportive of each other and we came together as a team,” said Coach Mrs. Jolly.

To secure third place, the Jets needed to capture the final 15-point set. Playing with patience and precision, they stayed composed under pressure, steadily wearing down the Sharks. When BFS finally faltered, DIS seized the moment, racking up the points one after another to claim their spot on the podium.

Among all the players, freshman Yul Sakong (29) proved to be critical to the victory, earning a medal as part of the All-Star Team. Mrs. Jolly praised Sakong as a key player in the squad’s climb to third.

Meanwhile in the Jetnasium, JV began their tourney against the NLCS Orcas. In the first set, the Jets struggled with serve misses and communication errors, allowing the Orcas to pull ahead early. The game concluded with set scores of 17:25 and 20:25. “It was our first time playing properly with the JV team members, so there were a lot of communication errors that led to receive misses,” said outside hitter Mika Lee (77).

The second game against Busan Foreign School (BFS) showed a complete turnaround. The girls came out sharp, landing accurate serves and dominating from the net. BFS couldn’t find rhythm as DIS took control of both sets: 25:8 and 25:9. 

Revved up from the win, the Jets carried their momentum into their last match of day one against FPS. Mika Lee (77) delivered 19 consecutive serve aces, helping DIS secure a commanding victory (25:4, 25:8). “I think I was really lucky. I missed all my serves in the previous games but I was glad that I got my serves in this time,” said Lee (77). 

 Day two opened with a match against the defending champions, KISJ. Despite long rallies, the team struggled against the opponent’s serves and strong attacks (17:25). In set two, the girls held a marginal lead, but constant serve misses allowed the Dragons to make a comeback (20:25). 

“KISJ was really good at hitting down the line and scored lots of points from that. We managed to adapt to their playing style, but we made some serve mistakes and lost the second set,” said Yoon (17).

In the semifinal, the Jets returned to face NLCS, determined to redeem their previous loss. Clean serves and strong backrow attacks from Lee (77) allowed them to maintain control throughout both sets, leading to a decisive 25:18 and 25:18 win that earned them the ticket to the finals. 

“I tried really hard and did my best to give good sets to our hitters, especially Mika and Elena, who have been playing with me for a long time. I tried to mix up my sets not only to the middle and outside but also to the back row to keep the opponents guessing,” said setter Jisoo Yoon (27).  

The finals once again brought a showdown against KISJ. The Jets dropped the first set 15:25 due to serve receive errors. However, they bounced back in the second set. Key plays in the net earned them a win, taking the set 25:21. In the final set, both teams battled neck and neck until the Dragons pulled ahead 16:25, leaving DIS as the tournament’s second-place finisher. 

KISJ JV setter and captain Haul Kim said, “The finals were the most exciting match I had throughout the whole KISAC. Overall, I think numbers 8 and 77 were the best players. They had really good serves.” 

Despite both teams falling short of the championship, the girls ended the weekend proud of their performance and growth. With the SKAIS tournament coming up on Nov. 4, the girls looks to carry its momentum forward. 

Gallery • 4 Photos

Mihini Edirisinghe

Setter Jio Kim (41) pins Elena Lee (8) for a quick offensive transition. Moments later, Kim steps forward and delivers a high set to Lee, turning defense into a perfect attacking opportunity.