By Sung Eun Song, SCIS
The Cooperative school boys varsity volleyball team withstood a tremendous challenge from International team to take the championship two sets to one on Tuesday at the SCIS gym. The Griffins started strong, taking the first set 25-18. Then the Jaguars stormed back to take the second set 25-23. The third set, played in front of a large, enthusiastic, bottle-bonking crowd was very close but the Jaguars finally won it 15-13. For the Griffins, this match was very disappointing as they lost both their perfect season and the championship; it marked the first time the International boys had lost a set all season. For the Jaguars, it was a dramatic and even historical victory.
In the first set, the Griffins took the early lead of 9-2. Then they started a scoring parade following the lead of Juan Sebastian Narvaez and Francisco Gonzales. Sebastian, a senior, had spikes which were virtually unblockable. He helped to break down the Jaguars’ resistance, giving International several points. He capitalized on every opportunity he had, making several impressive plays. Francisco Gonzales was also highly skilled at spotting vulnerable spots on the opponents’ side, and spiking to them with speed and power. Their wonderful team play lifted the Griffins’ team spirit and motivation. Several bad serves and missed passes by Jaguars helped widen the Griffins’ advantage to 19-8. The Jaguars started a slow process of climbing back, but the Griffins already had complete dominance of the court. Finally, with a strong spike from Juan Sebastian Narvaez, the Griffins won the opening set 25-18.
At the beginning of the second set, the Cooperative boys showed newfound initiative, leading the game by 6-1. The standouts for Jaguars were Josue Abuawad and Jorge Melgar. Josue was an outstanding spiker. He jumped right in front of the net and spiked the ball emphatically to the vulnerable spots, which reminded one of boxer Muhammad Ali's phrase "to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." Jorge was a good setter, who dealt with balls flexibly. He blocked several hard attacks from the Griffins, scoring points for the Jaguars. With a solid defense from Santiago Maldonado, Eric Takayama and Juan Sebastian Velasco, the Griffins caught up with the Jaguars in the middle of the second set, tying the score at 18-18. From this point, the pressure was on for both teams. And this time, it was Jaguar boys who got a strong hold on the mental game, and the skills that they possessed began to work for them. Jaguar Andres Shin was another outstanding player who made many amazing digs and artful sets, greatly aiding Jaguars to actively attack. The match was intense and breathtaking as an astounding number of attempted kills were blocked, sometimes double-blocked. Finally, the second set went to the Jaguars 25-23.
Things got truly spectacular in the third set, with most points decided on long rallies during which there were at least two or three amazing plays. The Jaguars got ahead early 4-1, but the Griffins then slowly sliced into that lead until they finally tied the game at 7-7. They traded points in long rallies in which the ball went back and forth about 15 times with both sides making powerful spikes, delicate placements and intrepid receptions. When the score tied at 8-8, the Cooperative started to edge ahead, first with two big spikes by Milan Marinkovic that moved the count to 10-8. A bad serve and a ball hit long by International helped widen the Jaguar advantage to 14-10. The enthusiastic Griffins fan shouted “Si, se puede”, encouraging the Griffins. The International team almost evened the score at 14-13, but finally the Jaguars won the match 15-13 when Josue Abuawad uncorked one final magnificent spike to wrap it up. Cooperative played its most impressive game of the season in the championship, defeating International, a team that had never lost a match this season, and in doing so, the Jaguars earned the 1st place volleyball trophy.
Eagles Overwhelm Knights for 3rd Place
By Trevor Reed, SCCLC
The Christian Learning Center Eagles finished off their volleyball season with a convincing win over the Cambridge Knights on Thursday, in a game played at the International gym.
It was the Knights who shot out to a 3-0 lead first, led by the aggressive serves of Gabriel Alonso. However, the Eagles were soon able to get back in the game, tying the score at 4-4. The match was very close as neither team was able to gain an advantage. Halfway through the set, the Knights began to pull away with a 12-9 lead over the Eagles. They were once again led by Gabriel Alonso's serves. Then, Cesar Flores began to close the gap with quick, accurate spikes for the Eagles. The Knights still kept a small lead, and the scores began to rise. Soon, the score was 19-17, but the Eagles suddenly closed the gap and pulled ahead 20-19. They continued their aggressive attack, with Eagle Micah Kerney making several strong spikes into Knight territory. Finally, Eagle Jesse Mann was able to pull the Eagles to a 25-22 set victory after two strong spikes and a quick, painless serve.
In the second set, the Eagles continued their momentum, pulling off to a 5-2 lead. The Knights were plagued with miscommunication, and the Eagles widened their lead. Strong spikes from Jesse Mann and Cesar Flore helped the Eagles to "blast off," and when the smoke finally cleared the Eagles were ahead 20-6. Knight Gabriel Alonso continued to be a dangerous threat, but he could not succeed without the help of his teammates. The Knights attempted a comeback, scoring 8 more points before the Eagles finally finished them off with a score of 25-14.
