2024 SEASAC Volleyball Tournament

November 8, 2024: The sounds of trumpet and violin echoed throughout the Plaza, as the orchestra lined up in perfect order. It’s 8:15 AM and SSIS is hosting the Division 1 SEASAC Volleyball Tournament. In the HS and MS gyms, 16 teams from 8 different schools around Southeast Asia are warmed up, with their sights set on gold.

Day 1: The tournament began with round-robin style pool play where games were played in a best-of-3-sets format

For the Varsity Boys, Pool A consists of NIST, BPS, TTS, and CDNIS while Pool B has SSIS alongside UWCD, ISY, and UWCE.

For the Varsity Girls, UWCD, RIS, SAIS, and AIS played in Pool A while SSIS, UWCE, ISY, and NIST played in Pool B.

At the end of day 1, the Varsity Boys would finish number one in their pool whilst TTS finished top of Pool A. The Varsity Girls finished third in Pool B, with UWCE grabbing the top seat while UWCD won Pool A.

Day 2: Things were looking good for SSIS coming into day 2. The games are now longer and played in a best-of-5 sets format. In their quarter-final match, the SSIS Varsity Boys pulled off a staggering 13-25, 20-25, 25-20 straight-set victory over BPS, heading straight to the semi-finals.

Afterward, the Varsity Girls played their quarter-final match against SAIS. SSIS Girls played an excellent first set with a 23-25 victory, however, SAIS managed to win back 3 straight sets, ending the 4-set match with a victory for the Stamford Lions.

An exhilarating match between the Varsity Boys and the NIST Falcons kickstarted. Two hours in, the Dragons led two sets to the Falcons’ one (15-25, 25-23, 18-25). 21-24, setter Ian Ngo sets the ball to opposite hitter Tom Truong who hits the ball over and, after an unsuccessful blocking attempt from the Falcons, finishes the match and takes the fourth set, securing SSIS’s place in Sunday’s finals.

On the girl’s plate, the semifinals are getting serious. There seemed to be trouble early into the first set, with our Dragons trailing 4-8. Nevertheless, after rattling off 6 consecutive points, the game’s momentum was reversed and the Dragons took the first set 25-18. This momentum is carried through till the end of the match as the Varsity Girls sweep the second and third set, delivering a stunning 25-18, 25-12, 25-14 victory over the AIS Sharks.

Day 3: The tournament’s final day starts with the Varsity Girl’s 5th Place game against the RIS Phoenixes.

The teams are neck and neck during the beginning of the first set before RIS starts to pull away, taking 25-22. In the second set, once again, the Dragons and Phoenixes are narrow. However, a series of powerful service aces from sophomore middle blocker Katie Yang sets off 7 consecutive points for the Dragons, allowing them to take the lead and eventually win the second set 19-25. The third set is electrifying to watch, with RIS pulling away early into the set with a 9-2 lead. Yet, the Dragons soon regained their momentum, and, with a few mighty attacks, pushed through to tie the score. The Phoenixes’ defense is hard to beat; after a series of blows exchanged back and forth, RIS takes the third set in a 27-25 tiebreaker. RIS then takes the fourth set 25-19, winning the match with SSIS in 6th place.

There’s no time to linger on the defeat with the SSIS Varsity Boy’s final against the TTS Lions right around the corner. The middle school gym is practically buzzing with anticipation as the players warm up, with the common goal of bringing the trophy home. The match starts.

The first set starts worrisome for SSIS with the Lions leading early into the set, the Dragons trailing slightly behind. However, soon enough, with some stellar attacks engineered by No. 43 Ian Ngo’s precise sets, the Dragons are back to gain an advantage. Yet, they’re met with a similar ferocity from the Lions, who work to tie the score and regain their lead. Though, with a close save from senior libero Luke Tran and an explosive cut shot by opposite hitter Tom Truong to the left-hand sideline of Lion’s court, the Dragons powered through to win the first set 23-25.

The second set is a fierce battle for the advantage. The Dragons start the set off strong with a 0-4 lead. But the Lions quickly work to tie the points. Despite their strong start, by the later half of the set, the Dragons find themselves lagging behind the Lions by four-to-one points, unable to regain their previous lead. Eventually, the Lions take the second set 25-20.

The third set is an incredibly close one, with the audience uncertain of the winner. At the start, the teams are neck and neck. However, around the halfway point, the Dragons began to pull away and, with a few close saves from junior opposite hitter Tristan Pham, retained their lead until the latter half of the set. The Lions begin to close in to equalize the score and eventually take the lead. At 21-20, No. 65 Tom Truong bumps the ball to setter Ian Ngo who, rather than setting the ball to middle blocker Sam Thai as the Lion’s blockers predict, sneakily dumps the ball, tying the points. Nevertheless, the Lion’s defense stands tall and, after a series of intense and insanely close back and forths, they win the set 25-23.

The fourth set is tense. It’s now or never for both teams. Once again, the Dragons race to a lead (2-7) early into the set. Yet, like a bad omen of some sort, the Lions soon begin to close the gap. The Dragons couldn’t quite even the match in a nail-biting 8-point victory for the Lions as the Varsity Boys walked away with the silver medal.