The girls’ volleyball teams headed to Busan Foreign School (BFS) for the South Korea Association of International Schools (SKAIS) on Nov. 4. JV dominated the court from start to finish, concluding the day undefeated and securing the championship title, while varsity battled through a five-set final to claim second place. 

JV opened the tournament with a commanding performance against host school BFS. A series of clean aces set the tone in the first set, allowing the Jets to pull ahead 10:3 before the Sharks could settle into their offense. Strong passing in the back row and a pair of consecutive kills on the left side closed out the game 25:11 and 25:16. 

“At first, we underestimated BFS, as we easily won against them in KISAC, but they turned out to be significantly better than before. After knowing that they’ve gotten so much better, we all put our best effort,” said setter Ginna Kim (2).

For their second round-robin match, DIS matched up against the International School of Busan 2 (ISB). The outside hitters applied early net pressure in the first set, forcing ISB into constant tips that the Jets’ defense cleaned up effortlessly. A decisive push midway through the set, driven by back-to-back cross-court hits, extended the lead to double digits (25:14). 

In the second set, a long rally at 22:21 swung the momentum fully back to the Jets, which set up a series of consecutive serve aces that sealed the victory. “Minji did about ten aces, and it was really touching to see her play like that. Everyone was used to playing with each other, so we had fewer communication errors,” said outside hitter Mika Lee (77). 

The squad continued its undefeated streak with a commanding win over ISB3. The game featured their strongest serving stretch of the day, as the girls closed the first set 25:12 with minimal defensive errors. The second set turned more competitive as the Bears’ offense targeted deep corners, forcing DIS into longer rallies. Despite the pressure, strong communication in the back row and a key blocking sequence secured a 25:20 finish. 

“Our game against ISB3 was fairly straightforward. Our serves consistently broke their serve, and it allowed us to control the pace of the game and secure an easy win,” said setter Jisoo Yoon (17). 

DIS went head-to-head with ISB2 again in the championship final. From the opening serve, the squad controlled the pace with sharp serve-receive and quick offensive transitions. Consistent middle attacks disrupted ISB’s defensive structure, while disciplined blocking minimized scoring runs. The girls maintained steady leads in both sets, closing out the match in straight sets to claim the championship title. 

“The finals went really well. Since we’ve already gone against the other team, we were all playing with such confidence that we didn’t make mistakes at the finals. Since it was my last year playing as a senior, I was really happy that we won” said senior setter and captain Apple Jun (7).

On the opposite side of the gym, the varsity girls squared off in their first match against BFS, an opponent that the Jets already topped twice in KISAC. Varsity’s confidence quickly backfired as breakdowns in tip coverage disrupted their rhythm. The game wrapped up with a straight-set (3:0). “I think those girls pretty much have lost all [KISAC]. It wasn’t great, obviously, to lose to them, but I felt like they needed that win,” said Coach Jolly.

Their next opponent, the International School of Busan (ISB), remained unpredictable, as the girls never saw a single rally from their matches. 

“BFS kept on saying that they had played them twice already and lost to them both times. So I was a little nervous about how we would do against ISB considering our matches were so tight down at KISAC with BFS,” says Coach Jolly.

Contrary to Mrs. Jolly’s concern, varsity powered through all three sets with 10 points to spare in each. They raked in points with consistent attacks with minimal mistakes, claiming the first victory of the day (3:0).

With all three teams sitting at one win, point differential decided the finals matchup. After ISB defeated BFS in the following game, BFS dropped out, sending the Jets straight to the championship against ISB. 

The finals opened with a fierce first set. Fresh off their win over BFS, ISB pushed forward as varsity battled to keep pace. As a result, DIS dropped both the first and second set, an unexpected outcome given their previous 3:0 match (20:25 and 13:25). 

“We weren’t falling apart. I think it was just that ISB wasn’t warmed up in the first game. Also, I think we had jitters because it was the finals and a lot of people were watching,” said captain Minori Kojima (9).

Still, the girls pushed through and flipped the momentum, claiming sets three and four to force a decisive fifth set (25:22 and 25:15). “Our serving was awesome. I think that was the best part. But everyone was throwing themselves down on the floor. Victoria was throwing herself. Lily was all over the place. Everyone was not giving up. And I think that was the most important part for the next two sets,” said Coach Jolly.

The fifth set moved quickly, with the girls fighting hard on every rally and supporting one another from the bench. A strong opening gave way to a late deficit, and DIS failed to close the gap, falling by eight points. A late burst of aces tightened the score, but the push came too late, leaving DIS with a second-place finish (17:25).

After the match, the varsity team gathered for an emotional moment, feeling the weight of the loss but also the promise of what they had built together. “I think for me, you guys are my girls, so I want to give you a hug, or I want to be like, it’s okay, and it’s okay if you cry. I wanted to cry, but I needed to keep composure. We can’t be a whole mess,” said Coach Jolly.

Freshman Yul Sakong (29) and senior Minori Kojima (9) also earned spots on the all-tournament team, adding to the Jets’ standout performance. As the seniors wrap up their last match, the team’s rising talent signals strong potential for another championship run next year. “I was really happy after the tournament and I was excited to watch the team grow next year. Everyone gave their all and I am happy this was my last game of the season,” Kojima (9) said. 

Gallery • 9 Photos

Annie Cho

Yul Sakong (29) delivers a wicked floater that ISB can’t read, landing a clean ace. Her string of pinpoint serves powers DIS to a commanding win.