Hours of practice and preparation culminate in the Association of International Schools in Asia (AISA) and KAIAC tournaments, where teams are given an opportunity to showcase the skills they have polished since the beginning of the season. From Oct. 15-18, the volleyball teams travelled to Japan to compete in the AISA tournament. The girls varsity volleyball team and boys varsity volleyball team placed third in Osaka and sixth in Yokohama respectively.

According to Jean Cho (12), girls varsity volleyball team captain, the team was extremely pleased with the results because it was the first time in recent years that they brought home a plaque, a distinction given to teams who place third and above. The results from AISA only motivated the team to work harder and end the season strong by performing even better during the KAIAC tournament.

“Having been on the varsity team for three years in a row, I was really proud when we placed third,” said Julie Hwang (11), girls varsity volleyball player. “I feel like our teamwork really improved because we [spent quality time together] even outside of practice, and we knew exactly how to help each other out or encourage one another. I think this led to a successful season, and I’m hoping for more wins in years to come.”

While the girls varsity volleyball team was happy with their results, the boys varsity volleyball team believed that there was definitely room for improvement in their play. Since teams from international schools in Japan are strong, AISA has always been challenging for volleyball teams in previous years as well. Despite the results, the boys varsity volleyball team managed to pinpoint the flaws in their plays to improve for remaining games and upcoming seasons.

“I think we could have done much better as a team,” said Bryan Kwak (11), boys varsity volleyball player. “The usual plays that we had performed perfectly throughout the season didn’t work as well during AISA. Also, I think we were thrown off by the level of skill the Japanese teams displayed. The same goes for my individual performance—I was personally disappointed in myself because I made numerous mistakes that I typically would not have made.”