WE BELIEVE!

Saturday - Finals Day

GWA is seeded 2 for tomorrow's final day of action. Our first game is at 11:30 am vs AISK (Kuwait). The boys are confident, yet level headed and understand the importance of respecting our opponents.

If you think that we aren't ready for tomorrow's must win games, then check out the video below, it says it all! 

Game 5 vs QA (Qatar)

5^th Game Review.

By Abdi. Edited by Lexi

Another long day, but 2 wins from 2. Well done Dragons!

The JV boys played their 5^th game against Qatar Academy today. They won a very intriguing 1^st set with a final score of 25-11 for the Dragons. Unfortunately the Dragons lost their momentum after the 2^nd set and lost to a score of 20-25. Nevertheless the boys cleaned up their act after the 2^nd set and came out victorious with a score of 25-19 in the 3^rd set to win the game.

Thanks to Abdi and Alex for a well written match report.

Conner with the game winning serve.

Game 4 vs AISK (Kuwait)

How the table looks

First serve, Game 4

The boys got off to a flyer this morning, beating the unbeaten AISK in 2 sets. They played an exciting brand of volleyball with an excellent display of teamwork and well executed shots

Each player of the starting 6 played a pivotal role in beating the Lions. Mentionable performances go to Sergio (powerful spikes and serves), Miles (solid blocks) and Andrea (all-round performance). Colin (team captain) has been very vocal on court, and continues to rally the boys around him. We couldn't be happier with the boys at the moment and the way they have conducted themselves at the tournament. Great stuff so far Dragons! 

Our final game of the round starts @ 1:40pm vs Qatar Academy. Let's make it 4 from 5!

Dragons on 3!

Game 3 vs ACS (Amman, Jordan)

2 from 3

1st Set

2nd Set

Well played today Dragons.

The boys had a successful finish to Day 1 with a straightforward win over ACS. We knew this was going to the toughest game of the day given the fact that it was a late afternoon start and our 3rd game in 7 hours. Some of the boys departed their home stays at 4:15 am this morning, and we are super proud of their efforts today. 

There are 2 games tomorrow (Friday) with the first one starting at 9am vs AISK (Kuwait). Thank you for your support from afar, and don't forget to visit the blog again in the morning for more updates.From Dragons in Kuwait, Good night! 

Important note to parents: Our boys have been informed of the current security threat provided by the US Embassy in Kuwait. We are responsible for our players, and as a result we have told them that they are not to visit malls at night time. Our decision was based on a discussion we had with coaches who are based at schools in Kuwait. We will continue to contact your children prior to bedtime, but we also urge parents to do the same (we are sure that you do anyway). The boys are aware that they can contact Mrs Wood at anytime (24/7).http://kuwait.usembassy.gov/emergency_messages/emergency-messages-14/emergency-message-2014-7.html

Game 2 vs ASK (Kuwait)

Match point - Andrea with the serve.

Home crowd is building. It's getting noisy in here!

What a comeback!

Good form shown by our blockers.

The boys were down 1 set to nil, and fought back in the 2nd to win 25-20. Finally, they  found their stride, and their communication and positioning was much better. They took it easy on their hosts in the 1st set and realized they had a challenge ahead of them. A few encouraging yet stern words from Mrs Wood after the opening set ensured the boys were focused, and ready to claim their 1st set of the tournament.

Going into the final set we had the momentum, and what a clinical performance it was! We were up 9-2 at one stage and on target to claim our first victory of the tournament. With the massive home crowd advantage cheering on the ASK Falcons, it wasn't enough to stop our boys from winning our 1st game of the day. Final score, 25-16.

The boys have finally woken up and are ready to play. It took a while, but they have found their feet. With this winning momentum, we hope to finish the day on a high and claim 2 wins, with our final game due to start @ 4:10 pm vs ACS (Amman).

The boys are well fed with Subway, and are socializing with other teams.

1-1, going into the 3rd

Sergio with a booming spike!

Game 1 vs AISR (Saudi Arabia)

Game 1 Match Report

The boys got off to a slow start this morning going down to AISR in 2 sets (10-25, 21-25).

We had a much better 2nd set with GWA leading at various stages early on, however AISR came away with the win in the end.

Despite limited sleep, the boys are still in high spirits. It's back to the drawing board for us and time to re-strategize for game 2 vs ASK (host school). More photos to follow.

Player Profiles

Name: Miles

Age: 15

Hometown: Sydney, Australia

Nickname: Tree

What are you looking forward to most on tour? Doing stuff…

Your greatest GWA sporting moment: Representing Varsity basketball.

Name: Conner

Age: 15

Hometown: New York, USA

Nickname: White Dynamite

What are you looking forward to most on tour? Playing a bunch of volleyball games everyday.

Your greatest GWA sporting moment: U14 Hail Mary basketball pass to win the game.

Name: Sergio

Age: 15

Hometown: Madrid, Spain

Nickname: Serg

What are you looking forward to most on tour? Having fun and making new friends.

Your greatest GWA sporting moment: This tour. Getting to know the team players better and to hopefully win the tournament.

Name: Abdulla

Age: 15

Hometown: California and Ottawa

Nickname: Abdi

What are you looking forward to most on tour: Winning.

Your greatest GWA sporting moment: Making the volleyball team.

Name: Andrea

Age: 14

Hometown: Milan, Italy

Nickname: (Just ) Andrea.

What are you looking forward to most on tour: Having fun!

Your greatest GWA sporting moment: Beating DIA.

Name: Hasan

Age: 15

Hometown: Caledon, Ontario, Canada

Nickname: Abdulla

What are you looking forward to most on tour: Winning and having fun!

Your greatest GWA sporting moment: Still waiting for it, hopefully this tour.

Name: Colin

Age: 14

Hometown: Montpellier, France

Nickname: Still searching for one...

What are you looking forward to most on tour: Having fun with my friends.

Your greatest GWA sporting moment: Beating DIA.

Name: Alex

Age: 15

Hometown: Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Nickname: Lexi

What are you looking forward to most on tour: I am looking forward to exploring new volleyball skills, and ultimately having fun.

Your greatest GWA sporting moment: Playing my first GWA volleyball game.