The middle school volleyball team traveled to Branksome Hall Asia (BHA) for the Korea International Schools Athletic Conference (KISAC) from Feb. 27 to 28. Coming off a last place finish in SKAIS, the girls pushed for a strong bounce-back performance in their final tournament of the season.

The day opened with a match-up against Busan Foreign School (BFS), a previously defeated team in the SKAIS tournament. Fully dialed in, the girls fired strong serves that left their opponents in shambles. The Jets took an easy win 2-0 with 10 points to spare in each set.

After a long recovery time, they faced North London Collegiate School (NLCS) for their second round-robin match. Tight tip coverage and court awareness allowed DIS to build an early advantage. The first set ended 25:12, and the girls carried the momentum into the second.

Despite a comfortable lead, a strong server from NLCS cut the run short. “It was my first time receiving that hard. [Number 97] plays on the high school varsity team so her serves were enormously strong,” said Outside Elly Song (11).

Although the Jets stopped 97 in her tracks with a solid play, the early run put the set just out of reach. (23:25) With a few tweaks to their strategies, the girls came out strong in the third set and immediately shut down 97’s strong serves. They racked in points with strong finishes to each play and took the set with a 10-point differential. (15:5)

Day two opened with an early morning matchup against Fayston Preparatory School (FPS). Back-to-back wins in the previous day placed them at the top of Pool B, setting up a matchup against FPS, who sat at the bottom of Pool A. 

DIS powered through the first set and won in a landslide (25:2). The second set opened with a full lineup of substitutes, but the girls seized control early and cruised to another dominant win. (25:7)

The victory gave them a direct ticket to the semi-finals with Saint Johnsbury Academy (SJA). Setter Akari Kojima (9) distributed the ball with precision across the court, keeping the defense off balance and under constant pressure. Hitters hammered the ball onto the court at every opportunity in a point-for-point battle and finally took the set 25:19.

The second set opened at a high tempo, with intensity building from the first serve. “There was one hitter outside who was super good at hitting in SJA, and our goal was to not let her hit and it succeeded,” said captain Minju Koo (99).

The girls angled their shots and tips into open spots to disrupt the Hilltoppers’ usual receive-set-spike offense, allowing DIS to hold a narrow lead. A solid serve delivered by Captain Koo wrapped up the set at 25:20.

The undefeated streak fueled the team for the long-awaited finals with KISJ, another undefeated team. As cheers erupted in the audience, the majority of the audience rooted for their fellow Jeju school. Nevertheless, with flawless tip coverage and smart finishes at the net, the girls kept KISJ in check and raked up points. Overall, the Jets took the set without difficulty and left the crowd stunned. (25:8)

However, in the second set, DIS let their guard down and a string of receive errors halted their momentum. Those mistakes proved costly, conceding crucial points and ultimately dropping the set. (19:25)

“In the second set, the last point was my receive mistake. It was an insane dive that I did in front of everyone,” said Elly Song, the offensive standout at the net, “But all the bench players shouted strong [in the third set] to take care of our mentality and make sure that our plays stayed consistent.”

Entering the 25-point third set, student coach Victoria Kang rotated in substitute players and changed up the play to keep up the stamina. Although the Jets struggled to keep up with the opponent’s pace, a strong serve-run by Song and Koo built the momentum later in the set. Their aggressive play and coordinated efforts allowed them secure the set at 25:20, locking in the first ever KISAC trophy for the Jets.

“I want to thank our student coach, Victoria. Victoria was in charge of all the game plays and all the strategies. Since she played high school varsity volleyball, she could teach us well when we make mistakes. I think that is the biggest reason why we won everything,” said Song.

At the same time, the junior varsity one (JV1) team stepped onto the court with Ivy Yoon (42) as setter, Joy Cha (4), Lumin Crewe (14) and Purnima Cha (17) as middle blockers, Leah Park (32) as right side and Gaby Kim (2) and Molly Doh (16) as outside hitters under the guidance of student coach Leewen Wang. 

JV1 opened the tournament against KISJ. Despite a tough loss in their first match, the team quickly regrouped and maintained their composure. Demonstrating resilience early on, the Jets bounced back to secure victories in their next two matches, regaining momentum. “Everyone was a bit nervous, I think but they tried their best. We lost the 1st set, but then we came back and beat them in the second,” said Coach Wang.  

While JV1 worked to recover from their opening loss, the junior varsity two team (JV2) began the tournament with a strong kick. JV2 stepped onto the court with Grace Oh (45) as setter, Kyla Ahn (23) and Stella Park (77) as middler blockers, Yujin Park (24) and Isabel Bae (20) as outside hitters, Evelyn Cho (31) and Dana Lee (4) as right siders under the mentorship of student coach Yul Sakong. 

  JV2 opened the tournament with a commanding win over FPS, sweeping the match with set scores of 25-17 and 25-5. Riding that momentum, the Jets took on SJA and continued their strong run, securing another straight-sets victory, 25-20 and 25-12. 

The girls remained undefeated throughout the entirety of the first day, capitalizing on key moments to maintain their momentum. “I made a bump, and I barely went over the net, and then Lumin tried to bump it, but then she bumped it in the wrong direction, and then we scored a point from that. So I think that was a really good point,” said Kyla Ahn (23).

Meanwhile the JV1 team returned to the court to face SJA. Despite the nerves from the early loss the team executed their plays effectively and secured the victory in two sets (25-14, 25-13). With that boost of confidence, the players entered each rally with greater composure and displayed their maximum. 

As the first day came to an end, the two DIS teams faced off on the court. Both teams practiced together throughout the season, growing familiar with each other’s strengths and strategies. With that familiarity, each side adjusted its play accordingly. “We had really good serves, and Evelyn kept getting aces with them, so we got a lot of free points,” said Grace Oh (45). 

Through a back-and-forth start, JV1 claimed the first set 25-18. JV2 responded with determination, flipping the momentum and dominating the next two sets (25-11, 15-7) to secure the match. 

JV 2 carried their undefeated momentum into day two, continuing a dominant run through the bracket. JV1 entered the next rounds determined to bounce back from their earlier loss. After both teams secured semifinal victories, the Jets faced off once more again in the finals with the championship on the line. 

JV1 opened strong, taking the first set 25-20. JV2 answered with intensity, swinging the momentum to win the second set 25-19 and closing the match 15-7 to secure the championship. 

With the win, JV2 stepped on top of the podium while JV1 secured second, completing a gold-and-silver sweep for DIS. The result marked a milestone for the Jets, as both the varsity and JV teams earned consecutive medals for the first time in school history. 

“Mr. Purdy really let the student coach control a lot of things so he was able to listen to a lot of our opinions throughout the season. It was a really good experience to be a real coach and to see our players grow,” said Coach Wang. 

Capping off an almost undefeated season, the team demonstrated growth and composure in every match. “They deserved to be champions. This group of girls showed a lot of quality performance down at KISAC and they deserved it. I’m thinking ‘Oh no, next year we’re top seeds.’ That’s going to be a big big burden to go down with, but there’s a lot of potential there. You are the future, so join in, keep training, enjoy your volleyball,” said Coach Purdy.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Beatrice Lee

Coach Leewen Wang gathers her players during a timeout. Riding the momentum from their win streak, the girls exchange high-fives and strategy before returning to the court with renewed energy.