On Friday, February 20, EF Academy’s boys volleyball team lost a competitive five-set home match against Blair High School, falling 3-2 after struggling with communication, emotional control, and an unexpected lineup change that disrupted the team’s rhythm.
Friday afterschool at EF Academy turned into a five-set battle as the boys’ volleyball team faced Blair in a match filled with momentum shifts and emotional intensity. It was very competitive, having intensified emotions among players as the game went on. Although EF lost by 3-2, this match revealed both the team’s potential and the challenges they must overcome moving forward.
EF began the match with confidence, taking control early and winning the first set with strong energy and organized play. EF players started with strong serves and got some points. The game atmosphere was filled with confidence and good communication. EF looked very prepared to dominate the match at that point.
However, the momentum quickly shifted in the second and third sets as communication began to break down. Compared to the first set, the players started not to call for the ball and there was more defensive confusion. Due to the emotional reactions after making mistakes, the team started to lose confidence, which is when Blair started to gain confidence. Missed opportunities during key rallies allowed Blair to take control.
Takumi Makihara, 11th grader, emphasized communication issues on the court—”We didn’t talk.” He thought the team had “poor communication.” He explained that during intense rallies, they were not calling for the ball enough or communicating defensive positions clearly, which he thought led to confusion and lost points.
More than physical mistakes, players pointed to mental and emotional struggles as a key factor in the loss. Makihara suggested the team’s “mental condition,” reflecting that the team “became too emotional after losing points, especially in sets two and three.” As “mistakes happen more,” the team started to “react more emotionally instead of quickly resetting the focus.” He also felt the team was losing confidence, as the mistakes increased.
Volleyball requires quick recovery, but EF struggled to regain focus during important moments so that they could have caught up on points.
In addition to mental conditions and poor communication, the team had also encountered an unexpected lineup change, which also affected them. Originally, Matus Benetin,12th grader, was scheduled to play as the setter, but he was unable to attend due to a university-related schedule. As an alternative for Benetin, Liubin Wei, 11th grader stepped in, though he is not fully used to the setter position. Although Wei gave his full effort, the adjustment disrupted the team’s offensive flow, and affected the timing between hitters and sets. But Makihara mentioned that he and his team “appreciated how Wei stepped up in a difficult situation with full effort.”
Ray Huang, 11th grader, mentioned that the team “had the ability to win, but did not perform at the highest level consistently.” He felt that the team had strong moments, especially in the first and fourth sets, but “struggled to maintain that level throughout the entire match.” He explained that there were missed opportunities during important points, where the team lost focus. He said, “We could’ve done better.”
Despite the setbacks, EF showed resilience by regrouping and winning the fourth set. If they did not win in the fourth set, EF could not play the fifth set, which was the final round to determine the winner. Especially after losing two sets, they felt very pressured, but managed to win the fourth set, and were able to play the final.
Aron Hyun, 11th grader, mentioned one of the positive parts that the team did well, which was “team support.” Even when they were down in sets two and three, they “continued to encourage each other.” There were moments of strong unity, especially in the fourth set when they fought back to tie the match.
In fact, the team was clapping and encouraging each other even when they made a mistake, and the bench players were also cheering up their teammates, creating a supportive atmosphere.
Hyun also added that, “if communication, emotional control, and mental toughness in high-pressure situations were improved, the team can win close matches in the future.”
Although this game ended up a loss, the team showed how they have their potential and resilience. If EF can strengthen its communication and composure, close matches like this could turn into victories in the future.