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Underdog

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 By Isaac Lee

Tuesday, 7 a.m., October 17, the Varsity boys volleyball arrived in Korea. After a defeated 5th place finish out of 6 teams last year, few had hope for the volleyball team. Some even mocked them for spending so much money to go to Korea to lose. They didn't know that the volleyball team was in business this year.

Volleyball ACSC started with a round-robin where all teams can play each other once. The number of wins and losses determines the seed for the official double elimination, which determines the placement for ACSC. The first three days were round-robin games where the guys won against Morrison, Faith, ICS-Bangkok, and ICS-Hong Kong. 

With a 4:3 record, the guys were placed on the fourth seed. In the first double-elimination game, the guys went up against SPH, a team they had lost to previously. They played and won against them. The guys were feeling good and went straight to the next game against Faith, where they faced their first official defeat. The guys, not wanting to go home early, held their heads high and went to bed.

Saturday, the final day of ACSC, the guys played against Morrison and won, officially eliminating them from the tournament. Starting the day with a win was great, but the guys had a big problem ahead of them: YISS. YISS is a school known for its volleyball skills and was one of the favorites for winning the entire ACSC tournament due to their second-place finish the previous year. Dalat had never beaten YISS, which made the guys nervous and excited. 

"I really just wanted to play more games that day. YISS were in our way and we knew they were one of the favorites. Despite all that, the struggles and hardships that we've been through have come down to this. Lose and go home empty, or win and come back with a guardian", says Sam Yeoh (9th grade setter). 

It was a grueling match to the third set, which ended when Aaron Andrews (10) spiked the final ball, securing the victory and officially eliminating YISS from the competition. Dalat was in the semi-finals. Right after the YISS game, Dalat had to face Faith once more. Faith, recently being sent to the losers bracket by Grace, was bloodthirsty for the win. The guys fought but could not pull off the fantastic underdog story everyone wanted. With a 1-4 score, Dalat was eliminated from the tournament. 

With volleyball ACSC ending, Dalat came out third. Aaron Andrews (10) and Captain Isaac Lee (12) earned the all-tournament, best blocker, and best server awards. The volleyball team also set some new Dalat records, beating YISS and acquiring the most recognition for volleyball in one season. Dalat's volleyball team has a bright future ahead of them. With many young and hardworking players, Dalat will become a place full of outstanding volleyball players. 


Photo Credit: Douglas Koay


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