Senior Boys Volleyball
Inside a Rivalry Game between the Senior Boys Volleyball team and Glebe
Written by: Snow Girl
The afternoon of September, 27, 2023 saw the first volleyball game this season for the John McCrae Senior Boys and they would be facing rivals Glebe. Walking into the gym, the remarkable atmosphere radiated from the crowd as almost all three bleachers were packed with students and parents. As Glebe’s #10 commented, “This was a long-awaited crossover”. Could our boys defeat Glebe this game after being beaten twice by them last year?
After the coin flip, both teams went to their seperate sides of the court and got into position. When the referee’s whistle blew, McCrae started the game and from then on both sides served and received impressively. Thunderous cheers could be heard as rally after rally we swiftly started gaining a lead and as the scoreboard signaled the set point was ours we would win the first set 25-23.
The start of the second set was started by Glebe and both teams members changed to incorporate the players who were benched the set before. As our second team played, it seemed our biggest struggle this time around was communication and even as the team showed great effort to turn the set around we ended up losing 17-25.
Shortly after both coaches tweaked their lineups, our team started off the set strong and racked up points putting us in a great lead. As the height of the set was reached there was an injury, as Glebe’s #14 ran to rescue the ball for his team before he collided with the bench, forcing him to sub off. It was an unfortunate accident but it further proved how determined both teams were to win this game. At last, our team’s great communication and chemistry would secure us this third set 24-18.
A fourth set was called due to volleyball rules and as Glebe started the set, the confidence of our boys would only grow as each point gained would send the boys and the crowd into an uproar. There was a strong gap in points and as the ball was spiked down onto Glebe’s side, the boys won the set point and game 25-15. Throughout this game, both teams demonstrated a positive and playful attitude even as obstacles occurred and McCrae were, in the end, able to defeat Glebe this time around. Glebe’s captain stated, “It was a good game, really fun. I think our school just came in here too easy breezy and didn't take it serious enough and it [the game] was kind of a consequence”.
Post-game I caught up with captains, Roth Mohring and Carter Liu, or as Coach Jennifer Talbot described them, “Two kids with really great leadership abilities.” When asked if they felt confident about the rest of the upcoming games Mohring modestly replied, “We’ve got some tough games, Glebe has been a rival for a while and we’re happy we won this one but we have a lot of games coming up, especially the East-end teams, they’re looking tough.” Liu added, “Yes, I have full trust in my teammates.” The boys are ambitious this year and it seems their motto this season, in McCrae player Jack Sha’s words, is to, “Lock in, go crazy, and have fun”.