WRITTEN BY stockton quinn
Top Row (from L to R): Ms. Stella Chen, Christian Furness, Audi Liu, Anderson Kuo. Bottom Row (L to R): Allen Chen, David Lin, Ricky Yang, Migo Lai, Laurence Tam
Top Row (from left to right): Coach Flora Chen, Ruby Wu, Patricia Chen, Amity Huang, Ivy Lu. Bottom Row (from left to right): Alice Wang, Kathleen Chen, Kelly Sunn, Prudence Huang, Siena Merk
On October 19th, both the boys and girls varsity volleyball teams took off for Shanghai to take part in the annual ACAMIS volleyball tournament.
The boys team played Renaissance College Hong Kong and Discovery College on the first day and followed that up with matches against Beijing City International School, NAIS Pudong, and Shanghai City International School.
The girls team also started off with Renaissance College Hong Kong and Discovery College on the first day, and NAIS Pudong, Shanghai City International School and Beijing City International School the next.
After the rounds of games taking place the first two days, the four teams with the best records would advance to the semifinals on the third day. Following a heartbreaking loss in the semifinals last year, the boys team was more determined than ever to bring back a medal this year. “I believe that we will get at least third place this year”, said Ricky Yang, a returning member of the team from last year. He added: “I think we are a lot better than last year.” The girls team who placed 3rd last year was aiming to build upon their previous success and take it to new heights. Moreover, with several veteran players from last year returning once more, this was the perfect year to do so.
Since the arrival of Coach Flora Chen and Coach Stella Chen, both teams have improved drastically, becoming annual medal-receivers and a tournament powerhouse. The girls team barely missed out on a championship for the second year in a row—losing a thriller to RCHK. The boys improved with a third place this year, conquering the newcomers to the tournament—Discovery College—in a close final match. This year both teams improved from last year’s tournament when both teams ended 4th.
Third-year player Ricky Yang said that overall the teams were fairly pleased with how they did and that they played to the best of their abilities; each match they played they were able to keep close. The boys team lost the semifinal game by a mere 3 points, while the girls team only lost 2 games during the entire tournament. In all, girls nabbed the 2nd place trophy, and boys 3rd at the award ceremony.