The middle school girls’ volleyball team headed to Busan Foreign School (BFS) for the South Korea Association of International Schools (SKAIS) tournament on Feb. 12. Varsity struggled through ups and downs, claiming third, and JV dominated the court from start to finish, remaining undefeated.

The varsity team opened the tournament against ISB. The girls struggled to find rhythm early as ISB jumped ahead with a strong service run. Miscommunications in serve-receive allowed the Bears to take both sets (15:25, 15:25). Captain Minju Koo (99) said, “Our mentality wasn’t stable enough and we were all nervous. We struggled with serve-receive. There was one outside hitter that made lots of serve aces against us.” 

For their second round-robin match, the girls faced a combined squad from Atherton International School (AIS) and Gyeongnam International Foreign School (GIFS). DIS regained momentum as Koo (7) and Christina Kim (52) delivered back-to-back aces that put the Jets firmly in control. With clean passes and strong attacks at the net, the team closed the match in straight sets (25:10, 25:8). 

“We were eager to win so we tried our best. We didn’t make as many mistakes as before so we gained confidence. I was glad with my serve aces,” said Koo (7) 

For their last round-robin game, they contested against the BFS Sharks. The Jets controlled rallies with steady passing and disciplined defense. Outside hitter Elly Song (11) finished the first set with a powerful jump-float serve. In the second set, Koo (99) sent a decisive spike followed by a well-placed tip to secure the narrow 26:24 finish. “I ended the first set with my serve ace. It felt amazing because it was the best serve I’ve ever hit in my life,” said Song (11)

With ISB, BFS, and DIS each winning and losing against one another in the round-robin, the standings were decided by total point differential. Despite their hard-earned win, the girls fell just short of the margin needed to earn a ticket to the finals. 

“At first, after winning BFS, we thought that we would be able to go to the finals. But the BFS athletic director told us that we couldn’t qualify to the finals and we were all so shocked,” said Song (11).

Despite missing the finals, the Jets regrouped quickly to face the AIS/GIFS team in the third-place match. The team established control early with aggressive serving and organized rotations. In a lopsided match, the girls closed the match confidently to secure third place overall (25:13, 25:14)

JV1 kick-started their day against Busan Foreign School (BFS). The Sharks took control early with consistent serves. The squad struggled to maintain momentum during long rallies, allowing BFS to secure the match (13:25, 19:25). Sixth-grader Joy Cha (4) said, “The game was in the morning and we needed time to get used to a new rotation that was unfamiliar to us.”

Due to the large number of players, the JV squad was split into two teams — JV1 and JV2 — for the tournament. Instead of a playoff bracket, teams competed in a round-robin format where the overall standings were determined by total match wins. 

JV2 clashed against the International School of Busan Bears (ISB). They started strong as Evelyn Cho (31) showcased a series of consistent serves. With confident hits and smart court coverage, DIS secured the game (25:14, 25:22). 

After the win, JV2 faced their sister team, JV1, in an intra-squad matchup. JV2 controlled the first set with aggressive attacks and strong communication at the net. After a tight three-set battle, junior varsity 2 held their composure in the final set to take the win (25:16, 25:27, 15:13). Setter Grace Oh (45) said, “At first, it was fun playing against each other but things got competitive in the second set. It was a challenging three-set game.”

Moving on from their sore loss against their own crew, JV1 competed against the ISB Bears. The Jets battled through strong defensive plays, narrowly dropping the first set (22:25). DIS regrouped in the second set with more disciplined rotations (25:19). However, ISB managed to pull away in the third set (13:15). Captain Gaby Kim (2) said, “Everyone was depressed after our loss to the other DIS B team. There was pressure and a sense of helplessness when we started our game against ISB.” 

For JV2’s third match, the girls vied off against BFS. As Kyla Ahn (23) made several impressive saves, Yujin Park (24) contributed with strong overhand serves and strong hits. The team maintained control to win both sets (25:13, 25:23). Park (24) said, “Our team had strong consistent serves and the other team had some serve misses. I think we had good teamwork overall.”

JV1 finalized their day contending against ISB3. With more consistency in their plays, they quickly gained control of the match. Improved offensive transitions allowed the team to close the match with a dominant 25:12 and 25:9 victory. “We were very relaxed and at ease with the ISB 3 team. Because it was our final game, we decided to enjoy ourselves after studying the opposing team,” said Kim (2). 

JV2 also concluded their day against ISB3. JV2 took the first set with coordinated defense across the court. Oh (45) added pressure on offense with well-placed tips that challenged the Bears’ defense. The team secured the win (25:9 and 25:10), finishing undefeated and earning first overall. Oh (45) said, “Our team was very glad that JV won. Overall, I think the games were easy to play.”

Building on their momentum from SKAIS, both teams prepare to face stronger competition at the upcoming Korea International Schools Athletic Conference (KISAC) tournament, held at Branksome Hall Asia (BHA) and the Jetnasium from Feb. 26-28. 

Gallery • 8 Photos

Jenny Lee

Captain Gaby Kim (2) lowers into a ready stance as she prepares to receive the serve. With her arms positioned to form a steady platform, she focuses on the incoming ball to pass it to the setter.