Alex Wu, G8 吳萌 The quarter-final match of the Shenzhen international school volleyball league was upon us, and our opponent was the formidable Shenzhen Foreign Languages GBA Academy (SGA). A wave of anxiety washed over our team when we learned we were facing last year’s champions. The pressure was immense. On the day of the match at SGA’s court, our nerves were palpable. During the warm-up, we could not help but notice the imposing height of every player on the other team, and we were visibly shaking. The tension began to ease only when our captain gathered us. “As long as we try our hardest, the result doesn’t matter,” she said. With the referee’s whistle, the game began. Their strongest player, Number 10, fixed us with a stare like a fierce lion targeting its prey, her desire to win radiating across the net. But we wanted to win, too! We rallied with our team slogan, “EAGLES!” and met the challenge. The other team’s serves came at us like meteors — powerful, fast, and fierce. We fumbled, made mistakes, and fell behind. It was our captain who stepped up, diving desperately for every ball and pushing to score. She took a hard fall and got back up without a word of complaint. Her unwavering toughness ignited a fire in the rest of us. This match could truly be called a “blood-stained” battle. One player’s hand was bleeding, yet she refused to back down. We encouraged each other, and in that shared struggle, we found our resolve. After two intense sets, the score was tied, setting the stage for a final set. Every time Number 10 spiked the ball, its speed and power were overwhelming. The more we feared their attacks, the tighter and more nervous we played. We shouted our slogan, clinging to it for morale. Then, our captain led the way once more. She began to spike with courage, playing not just with tension, but with a newfound enjoyment of the game. Inspired, we slowly began to relax and play our own game. The final point arrived. We spiked the ball, and it landed squarely on their court. For a moment, there was silence, then disbelief. We had won. A wild celebration erupted; some of us cried tears of joy. | 