On Saturday, after the open lesson, M1 to H2 headed over to the prefectural gym to watch the finals of the girls volleyball tournament in Wakayama. Earlier in the year, our girls had lost to Kaichi in the inter-high tournament, and now it was time for revenge.

Our team looked to be the stronger one except for one problem, Kaichi no.4. She had incredible power on her spikes and always seemed to find holes in the defense. However, when she was not on the floor, our team took command.

The third set was a heart-breaker as we had glorious chances to go up 2 sets to 1. However, the Kaichi team was strong and held firm, taking the lead themselves.

By the fifth set you could see both teams’ legs were getting tired, but still they hammered the ball. Down 13-10, things looked grim, but the last five minutes were magic as we outscored the other team 6-1 for the 16-14 full set victory.

The players were crying, the coaches were jumping, and the crowd was in a frenzy. It was everything sports is supposed to be. Powerful, dramatic, heart-wrenching.

Congratulations to the Shin-ai girls for reaching the national tournament. We will all be  cheering for you in January!