Liceo Ingles defeated Gimnasio Ingles 2-1 to take the trophy back to Pereira in the ACCAS Tournament hosted by TCS in the Coliseo on April 30.

The points at the end of all games were very close, Liceo Ingles finished with 10 points and GI with 9. The first set was a tough one for GI after losing 25-23 but then they got back up after winning the second set 25-22. Overall Liceo Ingles won the final using its strong serves and attacks. The TCS team did not get to the finals but ended up in 3rd place.

“The most difficult game for us was the Liceo Ingles, which is who we are going to confront in the final. Still, we don’t feel nervous, we feel prepared and concentrated, and we are going to give 100% of our effort,” Mariana Gomez, GI Player, said.

Gimnasio Ingles defeated TCS 2-0 in group play winning 24-19 and 24-13. TCS began both sets with nerves and fell behind early. The teamwork, serving and net play of GI were all strong and TCS had no answer. 

“It felt really bad losing the semi-finals because we worked very hard throughout the year but I think overall we did very well,” Luciana Forero, TCS Volleyball Player, said. 

Overall TCS had a good strategy and teamwork, they were able to maintain their enthusiasm even after a bad game. Luciana Forero and Valentina Jimenez, both Grade 9, were the outstanding players because they showed a lot of skill at the net and digs. 

“Luciana knew how to attack very well so it made it very hard for the other teams to receive the ball. She stood out on the blocks so she helped a lot with the defense of the team. Valentina saved the move when the team made a mistake,” Amalia Sierra, 10th-grade student, said.

In the 3rd place match, TCS defeated Granadino 2-0. The teams that participated in the ACCAS tournament of girls Volleyball were The Columbus School, Colegio Nueva Granada, Bolivar, Liceo Ingles, Gimnasio Ingles, and Granadino. 

“It felt really great to do the tournament again, all the excitement, the atmosphere, students being able to participate again, students being able to watch sports. Teams having the opportunity to play again and travel after training all year long is just wonderful,” Freddy Badillo, TCS sports coordinator, said. 

Liceo Ingles defeated TCS 2-0 winning 23-15 and 25-17 in the first game of the tournament. TCS was intimidated and they made a lot of mistakes. FLI started very confident and had good kills and spikes.

“We felt we could’ve been more close as a team because it was the first game so we were very stressed out, so after a mistake, we fell down, we need to learn how to keep our head straight so we can keep going,” Ivanna Mejia, TCS Volleyball Player, said. 

TCS worked hard all year and very hard on their games. Maria Jose Castañeda, Grade 10, smashed her nose against the floor after diving for a ball. She also encouraged her teammates even when they made mistakes or when they fell behind. 

“I let my emotions get to me while playing a game and that is something I need to work on a lot. As a team, we should work more on communication, and we could have supported each other a little bit better,” Castañeda said.