Fall Sports, School News, Sports

Interscholastic Volleyball Games Approved Last-Minute

Donghoon (Lucas) Kim, Writer

At the end of a volleyball season without any interscholastic games due to COVID-19, GSIS received an unexpected notice from KAIAC that interscholastic games were finally allowed. Varsity volleyball players were thrilled to hear the news and got ready for their last week of the season. The girls and boys volleyball teams fought fiercely in four final games and managed to take home a few victories, with the boys and girls placing 3rd in the Pink Division.

Even though the fall season was set to end, the season was extended by one week to allow athletes the opportunity to play a few interscholastic games. GSIS’ volleyball teams played against Seoul International School, Korea Kent Foreign School, International Christian School of Uijeongbu, and Chadwick International.

The varsity boys volleyball team successfully snagged one win, while the varsity girls team won twice

In the game with KKFS, the boys secured a win with a perfect score of 3:0. The girls team won twice, against KKFS and ICSU, both with perfect scores of 3:0. Athletes were exuberant after their wins. Athletes on the team were newcomers to the sport, meaning that these wins were their first-ever wins in official KAIAC games. 

Many athletes on the boys varsity team attribute their success to the captain of the team, senior Bumki Park. As the only senior on the team, Bumki Park was skeptical at first. He says, “At first, I honestly didn’t have much hope. However, I quickly changed my mind after I saw how committed and passionate our players were. We had a solid team foundation”.

The boys varsity team fought fiercely against ICSU at a home game

What made the varsity teams so great was their passion and dedication to the sport. Even after long exhausting practices, players begged the coaches to stay so they can continue practicing even longer. 

For a few senior varsity volleyball players, like Sally Cho, these games were their final volleyball games in their high school career

Yet, even with passion, the teams faced many obstacles along the way. The majority of the opposing teams were very skilled and experienced. However, as the varsity teams were mostly juniors and sophomores, there is still abundant potential for growth next season. The last-minute interscholastic games have provided an opportunity for varsity volleyball players to have fun, and put their weeks of hard work and practice to the test.