“Young but fierce” Symbas volleyball teams complete the season by overcoming challenges and building stronger teamwork.

With only one senior, the young teams were inexperienced, unlike previous years where the varsity and junior varsity teams consisted of more experienced seniors. As a result, varsity placed seventh in the league. Manager Mayomi (11) said, “Most of the players were new to varsity or new to volleyball in JV, so it took time to figure out the strengths of each player.” In addition, the teams suffered slight setbacks after missing practices due to extended weekends and a week taken by mid-term break.

Despite the disadvantages, varsity was able to perform well in the Far East tournament held at Zama, placing fourth out of nine schools. “As a team they were mentally weaker compared to previous years because they were a younger team. The confidence of a team tends to waver more when the team is younger due to the lack of experience to look back on.” Coach Griffiths said. With a new environment and new opposing teams, the team went on court with more confidence.“They played more confidently in Far East because they were not aware of the opponent’s skills and reputation.” Coach Griffiths said. Varsity returned home with the title of fourth place.

One of the highlights of the season was the away game against the CAJ Knights. Despite losing the first two sets, the varsity team remained motivated and determined to win. They won back the third set and continued on to win the game. The game displayed the team’s potential and true strengths as a unified team. Another memorable moment of the season was JV’s win against the ASIJ Mustangs. The captain of the JV team, Rachael (10) said, “We stayed strong since the beginning. The rallies were good and the win was satisfying.” Overall, the JV team came fourth in the league.

Coach Griffiths summarised the season and said, “They had a tough start in the Kanto league, but by gaining victories in the Far East tournament, they grew more confident and became a better team.”