By: Isabelle Yang, Sports Editor
Over Labor Day weekend, Lainey Tsai (12), varsity volleyball player, had the opportunity to join Justine Wong-Orantes’ 9-man team and play in the Back to the Bay 79th Annual North American Chinese International Volleyball Tournament (NACIVT) hosted by the San Francisco Chinese Athletic Association. At Moscone Center in San Francisco, teams from around the country competed in a three-day tournament with rules slightly different than normal volleyball.
Through her mom’s friend, Tsai was recommended for Team Raki after being watched during club volleyball season. She was hesitant to play initially, due to not knowing any other players on the team and was intimidated by playing with an Olympian she had watched on TV. Tsai reflects, “I ended up having a lot of fun and learning that players of any age can play the sport competitively.”
Despite meeting her teammates on the first day of the tournament and having low expectations, Tsai seamlessly played Wong-Orantes’ position, libero. She was surprised at how easy it was to develop connections with her team and credited it to the amazing amount of college, professional, and club experience on the court. “Everyone was really patient and supportive which made adjusting really easy,” says Tsai. “Court chemistry was surprisingly smooth and felt like I had been playing with the team for a long time.”
On and off the court, Tsai enjoyed getting to know the women’s USA volleyball team’s libero. Wong-Orantes has played for the team since 2017, earning a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and a silver at the Paris Olympics. She’s a Nebraska Cornhuskers alum, where she won an NCAA national championship.
Tsai describes Wong-Orantes’ gracious and humble personality, along with impressive skills on the court. She strives to learn from Wong-Orantes’ leadership skills, which she hopes to transfer into her play during school volleyball season. “Watching her playing so calmly yet having a big presence on the court was very inspiring,” explains Tsai. “She was covering more than half the court and diming every pass, which made me realize leadership isn’t just about being loud but also leading by example and being really supportive towards teammates.”
Looking back, Tsai had an incredibly fun experience at the tournament. Some special moments she mentions were her former coaches, teammates, and grandparents coming to cheer her team on. Tsai highlights, “It was a cool experience getting to play with such amazing people, but also getting to see others support each other and be united by the common interest of competitive volleyball.”
Although the three-day tournament challenged the team’s stamina, with only seven core players and limited breaks, Team Raki won five out of their eight matches. They finished ninth place overall, working hard to climb from their initial ranking of 77th out of 83 teams.
Lastly, Tsai adds, “I saw on social media how many Olympians were raving about a delicious chocolate muffin at the Paris Olympics, which inspired me to ask Justine if she had the chocolate muffin and she replied excitedly, ‘Yes, it was very tasty!’”
