The last game before the pool for boys volleyball started off with loud chants competing for the athletes’ attention. Team captain, Lucas Chen (12), expressed his great encouragement to the team with clapping and shouting, which kept the team alive. The Hawks’ friendly rivals, Lancers of OLM, have previously encountered EABH in past ISSLs and unofficial matches which created an eerie atmosphere for the game. Not only were the boys anxious to defeat them after so much practice and studying, but because of the state of their bodies as well. Athletes faced shoulder and knee pains which were later recovered with the use of physical therapists on site.
In the first set of two, the starting lineup was arranged to kick start the game with EABH’s strongest team. Similar to past games, the score kept matching as the Lancers would catch up to the Hawks after every point. The chase for points didn’t last long when Eduardo Calixto (6) blocked endless spikes that came from OLM. As for the libero’s role, Arthur Mello (14) sent every ball to the setter’s hands which allowed the outside hitter to make an amazing spike. When the Lancers called time out, the Hawks in the audience and the bench roared in support of their lead which was soon after topped off with a match point of 25 - 19.
After a failed serve, the team captain continued to cheer for the boys encouraging them to not lose their final chance at defeating OLM for the day. Cheering became so passionate from both teams’ supporters that the campus staff of NR pushed them back to make sure they were not interrupting the productivity of the game. With a clear majority of points, the coaches subbed in benched players who continued to carry the team to victory. However, at 24 points, the boys lost 3 consecutive points and had time out called to let the players return to their previous mindset.
The game finished with 25 - 20 which brought the entire audience on the Hawks’ side to come together and cheer. EABH’s next competitor is Nations’ Cougars at 4:30pm to determine who would compete for the 2nd and 1st place.