The Lady Hawks have successfully qualified for the volleyball finals, guaranteeing their trip to the Final Four! Taking place in EARJ, the American School of Rio de Janeiro, the Final Four takes those who place first and second place in the ISSL and Big 8 competitions.
The first set was calm, going back and forth with points between the teams until the Hawks fell behind by 10 - 13. Their fall behind didn’t last long when the ladies tied at 16 - 16 and eventually got 3 points ahead. The Huskies were frustrated at the Hawks’ comeback which brought them to time out and returned making 5 points after EABH got to their 20-point mark. Right before the end of the game with a score of 23 - 21, the ball lasted an entire minute in the air until the referees stopped the game due to a fault EABH made touching the net. In a very close ending, the Hawks won the first set 25 - 22 anxiously getting ready for the next.
Although the ladies walked in with the goal of not letting the game as close, they made the first two points. Another obstacle the Hawks faced was their team captain feeling sick due to low pressure but had benched players providing her food throughout the game. Fully fueled, the ladies regained their strength and were in the lead by 10 points. Focused more than ever, Hawks saved around 10 balls that nearly hit the floor sending risky sets to Brunna Gontijo (16) and Marcela Borlido (5). They made beautiful off-speed spikes and one-handed tips. The 20-point mark had the girls at a disadvantage when the Huskies made 5 consecutive points on impulse, but the game still ended 25 - 23.
The overwhelming energy the crowd generated right after the whistle blew brought the referees to continuously whistle in an attempt to get everyone off the court. After the girls followed procedure, shaking hands with the opposing team, referees, and coaches, the crowd returned to court and chanted “tamos no final”, meaning “we’re in the finals”!