Girls Varsity Volleyball Finish 2nd Place at DVAC Championships
November 11, 2024
The varsity girls’ volleyball team dug deep in what was a gruelling DVAC varsity volleyball tournament in Budapest this past Saturday. The Lady Lions were one of nine teams competing for the championship and had to finish 1st in their pool of 3 to compete for the championship trophy. This meant they had to defeat ICS Vienna (ICSV)—who has become their biggest rival this year and whom they were already in two previous back-and-forth battles this season.
“The odds were definitely stacked against us,” said coach David Burns. “We were up against some big schools, we travelled 7 hours the day before, and my bench consisted of two girls with very little competitive volleyball experience. I knew we had the talent in our starting roster to beat any team at the tournament in a single match, but I was not optimistic they would have the energy to maintain the required level of play over the four games played throughout the day.”
After starting the day by defeating the host British International School of Budapest in two straight sets, the Lions found themselves against the ropes vs. ICSV, trailing the first set by margins of up to 10 points, eventually losing 23-25 despite a valiant comeback behind some power serving by Nadja K. In the second set, the Lions found themselves trailing 5-11 before coach Burns called a timeout to remind them that they came back against ICSV the last time they met in a similar situation. After the timeout, the Lions sparked a comeback and gained the lead 14-13 and never looked back, winning the set 25-21 highlighted by a clutch serving run from Natalija J. In the third and final set, the Lions were finally on point and easily defeated their cross-Austrian nemesis 15-7 to claim first place in their pool.
In the playoff round, the Lions were up against the winners of the other two pools for more round-robin play to determine 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placement.
First up, the familiar friendly foe of the International Christian School of Budapest (ICSB), a perennial contender for the DVAC championship. In the first set, the much fresher ICSB team who slept in their own beds the night before, beat up the fatigued Lions who were sprawled out on the floor after lunch before the match. The Lions were even losing 1-15 at one point but managed to claw their way back to a 16-25 loss. Riding the momentum from the first set, the Lions finally woke up and played some of their best volleyball of the tournament, tying the match up 1-1 with a 25-17 win. In a back-and-forth deciding set that was tied 9-9, the local team from ICSB turned up the intensity after a timeout to give the Lions their first defeat on the season, winning the final set 11-15 and claiming the 1st place trophy. The highlight of this match was when Nastia B. blocked the star outside hitter from ICSB who seemed unblockable and was striking fear into all teams with her powerful spikes throughout the day.
The final match of the day was to determine who would win the second-place trophy between the Lions and the British International School of Bratislava, which was regarded by some as the favorite to win the tournament. However, the exhausted Lions were not intimidated, digging deep and not settling for 3rd place, willing their way to a two-set victory, 25-22 and 25-23.
Coach Burns was very proud of his team’s hard-earned second-place finish: “This 2nd place trophy was by far the most earned volleyball trophy in our trophy cabinet. More so than even the few 1st place DVAC trophies we have won in the past. The level of the tournament is overall much more competitive than in the past, and it took every ounce of energy and mental fortitude for our girls to persevere. In our second match of the day, the girls were mentally defeated when trailing ICSV 0-1 and down 5-11 in the second set. Somehow they collected themselves and battled back. By the time the playoff round came around, many of the girls were battered and bruised but still managed to mount a fight against ICSB after losing badly in the first set. We narrowly missed winning first place despite all the adversity, and for that, I cannot be more proud.”
Photo: Team Captain, Chantal S. shows off the trophy to the boys and JV girls teams who were already on the train
Successful Season for the Junior Lady Lions Volleyball Team
The junior varsity girls volleyball team played in the DVAC junior varsity championships also in Budapest last weekend and although they didn’t find success in the win column, they found a different kind of success: a collective enjoyment for the game and playing with each other.
With 5 of the 9 girls who made the trip being new to the game, the goals of the tournament were to have fun and gain more experience playing the game. In this regard, the tournament was a huge success for the girls.
The second-year JV players each brought their own form of leadership to the court at the tournament. Anna L. had a great match receiving some tough serves while Lera K. and Toma S. were consistent all-around. The most experienced player, Sophia D., was the star of the weekend, providing great leadership by settling everyone down when things got tense and utilizing her height at the nets for some great tips.
The Lions almost won their first set of the season, up 25-24 in the second game of the tournament, but couldn’t manage to hold on, losing 25-27.
Photos: The Junior Lady Lions pose for a photo at a team dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Budapest Friday night.
Newcomer Milena K.—who was not able to serve over the net at the start of the season—was one of the most consistent servers for the JV Lady Lions on the day. Junior high players Jimena Z. and Andrea M. both had some good moments, while rookie setters Juliana H. and Gabby S. did a great job setting in the third and final game of the tournament.
Coach Abby Lee was ecstatic with how the day went: “There have been incredible improvements from the beginning of the season until now. Despite not winning any games, the girls had great attitudes and are eager to continue growing their volleyball skills.”