Girls’ Volleyball Storm to Finals in Colombo

As teams arrived on the first day of the tournament, the excitement and nervousness started to rise in the gym. We played our first games against Dhaka and Chennai, in which we won both sets. The game against Dhaka was the one that pushed us mentally and physically as we struggled against the Colombo heat and the nervousness of playing our first game. 

The second day we really dominated the court as we won both our sets against Karachi and Lahore. As the third and final day came upon us, the excitement of the tournament started to rise as the remaining top teams all battled for a place in the finals. The first set we had lost in the entire tournament was against TAISM. However, the team completely recovered in the second and third sets and won both the sets. We had finally made it to the finals for the third year in succession! 

As we painted our faces in Lincoln colors, and sang chants to boost our spirits, we were all pretty pumped for the final game of the season. However, the finals was a more challenging affair. The Bombay team had a consistency and maturity in their team that really could not be underestimated. We fought hard during each set, and played a total of 5 sets. By the time the last ball had hit the ground, we were all exhausted, but proud. Even though we hadn’t won a gold medal, at the end of the day we walked out with the biggest medal of all – we had come so far in the tournament with one of the youngest teams in SAISA this year. 

As said by our coaches, this game is a marathon. I think what we all realized at the end of it is that it’s not always about hitting the home run. Sometimes it’s about how you play the marathon. This dream of winning SAISA should not stop at the finish line and it should definitely not stop when our team has placed as high as second place. That is why I’m certain that with the team’s performance this year, that next year this team of fresh and hardworking volleyball players is going to dominate SAISA. 

Ana Maharjan