Girls’ Volleyball – In the Eyes of a Leopard

With only three returning players and a few injuries in the beginning, our season didn’t really kick off with a good start but we pushed through it. The girls practiced several hours a week, for two months, striving to get better. As the SAISA tournament got closer we saw our team really coming together. The big day had finally arrived as we boarded the plane with excitement and nervousness. After a long and tiring plane ride we arrived at our destination, Muscat, Oman. It was late, so we went to our host houses and got some much needed rest. We played our first match with Lahore the next day, following that was our match with Islamabad. We had smiles on our faces as we had won both of our matches. By the end of the day, we were exhausted but some of our nervousness had been replaced with confidence. On our second day we played Colombo and Dhaka. We went head to head against Dhaka. The scores were very close, but with Emma’s spikes and Sarya’s saves, we ended up with winning; 26-24; 25-19. Our confidence slowly escalated as we crept closer to the finals. Entering the third and final day, we were very confident. Winning our first match on the third day was unbelievable, we were in the finals! We knew the finals would be hard, going against the home team, but we knew we had it in us. As the crowd roared and cheered, we kept our calm and played our game. The crowd would roar as loud as they wanted, but nothing was bringing us down. The quick spikes, strong defense and powerful serves helped us gain points quickly. About an hour later, we had won three sets in a row. The final whistle had blown, we had won SAISA girls volleyball 2016. We all huddled together and took a moment to process what had just happened. The feeling was incredible. Our handwork had paid off. Though the feeling of victory was great, what made this SAISA memorable was the journey, the journey that began months ago. With only three returning players and many newcomers to the sport itself, the improvement was unbelievable. Watching each individual’s journey, how they grew and improved, all the hard work, time, and effort they put in. Watching the team come together to support, motivate, and help one another was beautiful. This SAISA wouldn’t have been same without our team or our coaches. Our coaches who guided us throughout the season with passion, dedication and a lot of hope. This SAISA is definitely one of the most memorable ones.