The Match

The most intense, the hardest and the last one of the season. We were now playing for bronze. We had beaten CMS in the opening game in three sets; we knew we could do it. In my opinion, that was something that turned against us since we went into the game too confident. The referee blew the whistle. Before we knew it, the first set was over, one, zero to them. Half way through the second set, we started realizing we had to start playing and stop messing around, but it was too late, they won it.

Before the third and what could’ve been the last set started, the referee kicked out our setter for arguing with him. He gave him a red card, which meant he had to sit out for that whole set. He could come back on the next one, if there was one. We didn’t know what we were going to do, in case you don’t know much about volleyball, the setter is, well in a way the most important player on the court; he knows all the plays. He's like the goalie in soccer, the QB in football, the pitcher in baseball. Players that can be replaced but almost never are.

The coach told us what we were going to do, and how we were going to do it. We knew it was going to be tough, but not impossible. The referee blew the whistle, and after a couple of minutes, we were winning ten to two. We were now certain we could do it. After some time, the score was now seventeen to fourteen, they were catching up. We kept playing, still as focused as we started that set.

It was my turn to serve. I looked at the referee to see him blow the whistle. I looked down at the ball. I bounced it, one, two, three times. I looked up and saw the score; it was twenty two to twenty one. I served. It’s in. We won that point. I followed the same routine, and in. We won that point as well; it was twenty four to twenty one. If we won this point, we were still in this. I served and luckily it was in. We won that point. We won that set.  Nobody could stop us at that moment. If we won without our setter, we could win this.

The four set, came, and we won it. We were now tied, two sets to two. The fifth and final set came, this one was only to fifteen. It was very close, till it was fourteen to thirteen to them. This was the point, if they won it, the came third, if we won it, we had a chance. Sadly, they got it. The final score was fifteen to thirteen. We came fourth, but you know what? I was proud of being fourth because I know we left everything we had in that court.