Last night was the Opening Season for our Coed Volleyball team in the Universities of Rome Championship. JCU team immediately faced a very hardened opponent, the University of Foro Italico, which defeated our Gladiators 0-3.

According to the coach Stefano Papari, “The team was motivated and played rather well, but unfortunately, this wasn’t enough with a team like the University of Foro Italico.”

In the first two sets, our Gladiators suffered Foro Italico’s dominance, leaving room for the opposing team to score repeatedly. The third set marked, instead, the turning point in the game. Our Gladiators were able to understood the tactics of the opponents and reacted adequately, getting really close to win the set. However, Foro Italico prevailed at the end by winning 26-28.

The last set was, anyway, the proof that our Gladiators don’t give up easily. With more time of practice and commitment, they will surely improve their technical and tactical abilities and will create a more cohesive team.

For the second time in a row, Reed Jones was nominated as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the game thanks to his brilliant performance and team work. Congrats again, Reed!

This is only the first game of the tournament. Our Gladiators have yet many games to play, and we are sure that they will obtain many successes in the long run. So keep working hard and never give up!