On Friday, April 11, through good teamwork, exceptional players, and supportive coaches, EF defeated Hoover High in a 3-0 set win.
EF Academy’s boys volleyball team made quick work of Hoover High, winning each set by a landslide.
The first set began with EF Academy securing an early lead, taking the first point of set one and foreshadowing their later victory.
During set one, a particular player, Yeseong Kim, took center stage with great timing, spiking power, and precision.
Kim’s plays excited the crowd, encouraging the team to continue playing with confidence, reflected in their performance.
Another star player made himself known on the opposing team in the first set, as number 15 from Hoover made excellent serves; however, EF did not falter as our team’s libero Liam Johnson did not fail to receive the intense serves.
While the opposing team displayed some powerful players like number 15, EF still took the first set 25-18.
The second set began with EF scoring the first point, exemplifying their ability as a team to not take the first win for granted. The opposing team, however, didn’t back down from the fight, closing the point gap during the first quarter of the set to a one point difference. EF, sadly for the opposing team, did not let that slide, widening the gap by 6 points and winning the second set 25-19. EF achieved this through great sets from Matus Bennetin, outstanding spikes from Ray Huang and Kim, as well as quick and precise receives from Johnson.
The third set started shaky for EF as the opposing team took the first point, but EF did not let the small loss get to their heads as they regained the lead almost immediately and remained strong in their position throughout the game.
A player from the opposing team, number 9, showcased his skill in setting while number 15 came back into the spotlight with powerful spikes. However, number 15’s strikes weren’t strong enough to challenge the EF hitters. Huang, at one point, struck the ball with such power that it slammed to the floor, bounced high up, and got trapped on one of the roof panels in the Robbinson gym.
That play by Huang, along with other strong moments from the team, ended in EF taking the win of the third set 25-17 and through that, the whole game.
After the victory, Huang reflected on his performance, noting that he thought, “The team played really well, but I see room for improvement, especially in myself. I was very tired during the game and it showed in my spikes, which often went out of bounds.” Huang later remarked that the game wasn’t too difficult which is most likely why he still performed well, but he wants to get more rest and energy before the next match.
Coach David Stack shared the same sentiment as Huang concerning the game, revealing that he was overall, “happy with the performance, but I see some inconsistencies in areas like communication with each other.” He later expanded on that by saying they were going to work more on communicating with one another during practice, but furthermore he genuinely enjoys being a coach due to the good energy of the team.
In the end while EF still has some work to do in order to perform at their best, their performance right now is still exceptional as they won the game 3-0.