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Opening the game with his serve, senior Kaito Mimura’s face lit up as he saw the volleyball magically navigate through every junior and smack the gymnasium floor, creating a loud THUD that echoed through the packed upper gym. While the ball landed just long of the boundaries, it marked an important milestone in PDS history: the first point ever scored by a PDS boys volleyball team. Following this moment, junior Eric Leung launched his signature serve, one that was typically reliable but unfortunately narrowly missed the court, resulting in an even scoreline of 1-1. From that point on, the match quickly took off. A slew of intense points was met enthusiastically with eruptions of cheers and chants from the countless spectators in the crowds. Quite evident from the onset of the match, PDS’s first ever game of BOlleYball was an intense one in which the hearts of the audience throbbed while the volleyball was violently spiked.

Junior George Ma, the organizer of the event, first started his planning during a Boys Group discussion: “The guys were talking about how they wished there was an event that was similar to Powder Puff [an all-girls flag football game between Seniors and Juniors that takes place in the fall]. They mentioned how they wished there was a boys volleyball team. I put two and two together, and being an Athletic Cohead as well as an active Student Council participant, I made it an event.”

During the game, the entire crowd was on the edge of their seat, holding their breath as the suspense built. As the spectators broke into deafening roars and screams, players kept leaping and sliding on their knees in heroic efforts to pop the ball into the air for their teammates. The third set was especially exciting, as the Seniors were making significant strides towards victory after losing the first set and winning the second one. With the third game shortened to being first to 15 points (originally 25 points), the Seniors initially led the game 12-9. However, the momentum shifted almost spontaneously as observed by senior Jimmy O’Connor: “The wheels began rolling the wagon very quickly, and the next thing we knew it was tied, and we’re down, and then we lost.”

“It all happened in a flash. Everything was a blur,” Ma reflected. “All I remember was jumping with my teammates together, just shouting.” Although the Juniors were nearly overtaken by the Seniors, they prevailed with a three-point win difference, giving them bragging rights and a chance to play with an all-faculty team later in the spring. The Seniors, nonetheless, demonstrated excellent sportsmanship even in the face of defeat. “I was pretty excited for the game, and I think a lot of the seniors were all pretty excited,” O’Connor smiled. “Obviously we didn’t win, but I know I had fun, and for the most part, everybody seemed to have a lot of fun too.”