Dolphins take on the LifePlus Volleyball Tournament

Traveling to other LifePlus schools to compete in sports tournaments is always a highlight of high school life for our students. This fall, our volleyball teams trained hard for the LifePlus tournament held at International School of Wuxi. The tournament hasn't been held since 2019, so for most, it was the first time they were able to participate in the competition. Dana, G11, said, "I felt very excited, but also didn’t really know what to expect since this was the first LifePlus volleyball in over 4 years."

The Dolphins felt a little unprepared as they entered the tournament, with only two friendly matches behind them. "I felt a bit nervous because I knew that all the other schools had had more practice than us and more friendly games, but I also felt confident because I love playing volleyball and our team had great chemistry," said Erwan, a senior.

The tournament kicked off on Thursday afternoon, with the lady Dolphins playing Wuxi and winning both sets. The girls had a lot of ace serves, rallies and spikes. Our boys took to the court next, fighting hard against Yantai and losing in the first set but finding their groove for the second and third to win 2-1. In their second matches of the evening, both teams won 2-0, with the ladies team against Yantai International Academy and boys against Wuxi.

Confidence was high as the teams took the court on Friday. The girls faced off against Tianjin, and despite hard playing, they lost 1-2. Our boys also played Tianjin for their first match and found victory winning 2-1. After the tough loss of the morning, the girls seemed to gel and played the best they had yet. They dominated Yantai Huasheng and Yantai International, winning both matches 2-0 with a large point differential. The boys also finished their day off against YIA in a seeded match, winning both sets.

Seeding for Saturday put both of our teams in the number 2 slot. The girls faced Tianjin first, and after the hard fought game the day before, expected a tough match. The first set went back and forth with first one team and then the other in the lead with Tianjin finally closing out the match 26:24. After the loss of the first set, the girls came together, playing their tricky five-man rotation like they never had before and winning the next two sets to find victory of Tianjin 2-1. Meanwhile, the boys team also had their hands full against Tianjin, with tight point differentials in both sets. With strong playing and good communication, the boys defeated Tianjin 2-0. Both boys and girls advanced to the finals!

In tense matches, the Dolphins played for the championship with boys against number 1 seed Chengdu and girls against Wuhan. Though they had a slow start against Wuhan, the ladies picked up speed and took the first set 25:14. The second set was tighter at first, but with consistent playing, ace serves, beautiful tips and powerful spikes, the girls took the second set as well, winning 25:15. The boys fought hard against Chengdu, leaving everything on the court. They took the first set 25:20 against Chengdu, but despite solid playing, just couldn't stop the Water Buffaloes from taking the second two sets.

Erwan said of the weekend, "My favorite moment this weekend was how well our team played together and despite sometimes not being ahead in points, we were always strong mentally. I also loved chilling with the other schools coaches and players."

We are so proud of our student athletes! Working together as One Team, they encouraged one another, cheered each other on, struggled together and gelled on the court. Our lady Dolphins took first place in the Tournament, demonstrating some of the best playing that Coach Oh has seen. The boys took home second place, a testament to their hard work! Best of all, both teams were given the Sportsmanship Awards, indicating that our teams showed respect and humility both on and off the courts. Well done, Dolphins!