The first two days of the ACAMIS tournament rolled through in an almost prophetic manner with each of the other teams achieving results exactly in accordance with what happened the previous year. The girls took care of business, winning comfortable straight set matches against each of the other ACAMIS teams from Shenzhen, Beijing, Hangzhou, and Dalian. Perhaps the schedule was designed according to pre-tournament expectations, but our final round robin game just so happen to be slated against HKA to start off the final day tournament. Unsurprisingly, HKA also rolled through their matches comfortably to set up a showdown of the undefeated teams and a rematch of last year's finals.
That night, the team gathered for a final meeting. We didn't spend the time agonizing over all the tactical details of the match-up but simply reflected on a roller-coaster five year journey. I could sense the anxiousness of the team, after all, I was just as anxious about the final day. But simply being together helped the girls push away their worries and build confidence in their unity. I don't remember everything that was said in that meeting but I certainly remember that there was not a single dry eye leaving. Our team captain reflected on how much it meant to her to be able to call the other girls her teammates and how proud she was to have shared the time and memories with this group. I was at a loss for words, but the girls insisted I should say something. I ended up reminding them of the incredible journey that they were have been on and how the final results wouldn't spoil that journey. I enlightened them by telling them that years after the fact, it would be this journey that they really remember, not what place they finished in. There had been so much more to this journey than winning and competition and I wanted the girls to appreciate everything this journey had meant them and how being a part of this team has and will continue to shape their lives beyond the court.
As I awoke for championship Saturday, I was mentally ready to take the court and confront HKA. Waiting is sometimes the worse part, because once the match started, absolute focus was required and there was no room for anxiety and worry. There were some tense moments to start off the match, with a progression that was too familiar to how we lost the year before. But the girls found their stride, especially on the defensive end, which was a huge area of improvement for us. Out-matching HKA's strong defense with our own helped turned the tide in our favour, eventually leading to another 2-0 win and the first seed for the playoffs.
Throughout the season, I made it very clear to the girls that I believed that if it wasn't us winning this year, it would be winning HKA winning again. Despite playing somewhat below their usual standards in the semifinal round, the team stormed back to the finals against the hometown HKA Dragonflies. When the semi-final round ended, a calm fell over the team. It was the calm before the storm.... and what a storm it would be.
There aren't many moments in life that drum up tension and excitement like the finals of a competition does. No matter how ready you think you are or how many times you've been there before, that sense of anticipation conjures up a heightened sense of reality. In those moments, nothing matters except your goal. I try to soak everything in and appreciate where we are but at the same time focus on the business at hand.
Everything seemed to be going fine in the first set but things can and do turn on a dime and all it took was a small lapse of focus and we found ourselves with our first set lose during the entire tournament. Undaunted, the team knew with a business-like mentality that the match was not yet lost and all it meant was that there would be more work to be done for the remainder of the match. They conveyed that approach on the court in the second set, with a lopsided 25-12 win. We were headed for an "all-in" final set to decide the match and championship.
In losing, you can nitpick the littlest details on how things could have worked out favourably if only a few small details were changed. Certainly in our match, we could have done that. Ultimately, the result was decided due to a lack of execution. It was 0-6 in a race to 15 against us before we picked up or first point of the set. It was hard to pinpoint any one facet of our performance that was done poorly to put us in such a hole and therefore nothing that really could have been remedied in practice. The rest of the way, we traded 9 points against their 9 points with the set ending 9-15. It's easy to wonder what could have been without that 0-6 start but ultimately, the ball fell to our side of the court 6 times before we could return the favour and typically when that happens in a 3rd set, that team is not the winning team.
Undoubtedly there was pain. Not experiencing pain when you've lost a championship meant it probably didn't mean much to you in the first place. When the immediate pain subsided, there was a sense of accomplishment. The girls played through the tournament with every ounce of effort they had and when you do that you're hard-pressed not to feel that sense of accomplishment. Additionally, the core of the team had played together through the combination of 4 ACAMIS/SCISAC tournaments, never finishing worse than 2nd during any of those years. Most profound was how the girls came to appreciate that coming 2nd was no small task either and even that took a full commitment from every member of the team. I was happy to see that the graduating players didn't dwell on lost opportunities but instead took the end of the tournament to celebrate what a special group they were a part of.
When ACAMIS ended last year, I noted that we were the most skilled team that year but not the best team. This year, we were the most skilled team and the best team. We just didn't have the trophy to show for it. Sure I'm biased in saying that, but anybody who watched any portion of this year's ACAMIS tournament would understand. In these past 5 years, I've never coached a more tight-knit and cohesive team. You could see it in the way they cared for each other through the way they played for each other in rally, the way they encouraged each other between points, and the way they celebrated and cried with one heart. I don't believe in fate or destiny, so I don't expect that winning comes with being the best team. It pains me not to have helped this group of grade 12s get the championship they so desperately wanted. However, the process begins anew with some new faces next year. Next year's mission, is to ensure that everybody else comes to learn what we already know. That the TIS Tigers have the best girls volleyball team at ACAMIS.
