“I JUST WANTED TO PLAY VOLLEYBALL” - BALAC VOLLEYBALL TEAM FINALLY GETS TO COMPETE AGAIN AFTER A YEA

After an eventful Basketball Article, up next is our beloved volleyball team! Composed of Balacians from BALAC13 and BALAC14, our volleyball team serves as not only a community to make friends and socialize but try out new experiences as well!

Team members:

Panisara Sathirasuit (Bell - BALAC13)

Ploypak Watanabe (Birdie - BALAC13)

Yayee Kitsomsub (Yayee - BALAC14)

Warissara Muangthong (Moss - BALAC13)

Uahkarn Lavanavanija (Namfah - BALAC13)

Chayanich Chettapornpet (Fay - BALAC13)

Hsin-Huai Wang (Grae - BALAC14)

Many thanks to Bell and Birdie from BALAC13 who joined us for a short interview.

Q: How long have you been playing volleyball?

Bell and Birdie: One year, ever since our first year!

Q: You guys competed last year, right? How do you think last year's competition would differ from this year's competition? Do you feel more confident after going through it once or are you still nervous?

Bell: Both? I mean it’s comfortable because I'm closer and there are more familiar faces like I know birdie now and we’ve played together before and we had the gist of things but I think everyone’s always a little bit nervous cause with all the new years coming in, you want them to enjoy themselves! And you want to perform well but I am feeling a lot more confident about this year.

Birdie: Well for me it's the same answer as Bell but because of COVID and all. It was so long since the last time we competed, so like some of my skills also went down a bit because I haven't touched the ball in so long.

Q: Going off of your answers, does that mean you guys only start practising volleyball when it's closer to competition time?

Birdie: Not really, we have the volleyball club so if anyone invites us we can go and practice anytime but since there is a competition, we feel the need to go more often than when there are no competitions.

Q: So you guys still practice during the year when it's not competition season?

Bell: Yes but with practising outside of Intergames season, it depends on the person because some people don’t practice unless it is Intergames season but we have the option. I go pretty often, not every day, but whenever there's a chance I would go to practice. But we don’t get the chance to practice as a team.

Q: Ah so it’s more like individual practice then?

Bell: Yes but we need to practice as a team more often because we need teamwork.

Q: Do you feel like the quarantine and the lockdown has possibly negatively affected your volleyball skills? Because there's been less of a chance to go outside and practice volleyball as a team/individual or do you think it hasn't affected you as much as you thought it would’ve?

Bell: It affected me, like when the sports complex was closed, I stopped practising because the only way I could genuinely practice was outside of university grounds. But like right now when we can still practice and whatnot, I’m fine and it’s okay. The people that want to come and practice have to be fully vaccinated and tested. So yeah, now it's fine but if it was in the beginning we didn't get to play at all.

Q: How much impact do you guys think you individually have on the team? Do you guys think you bring anything to the table or have any special characteristics that you think further contribute to the team?

Birdie: Well…Bell is the tallest.

Bell: Well obviously me and Birdie have been here since year 1 and she's competed before, she actually helps in the group chat and sets everyone straight. Birdie helps both on court and off court, helping orchestrate everyone's schedule, that's the main thing she helps with. Birdie is our mom.

Q: What do you think is your strongest point individually regarding volleyball skills? Which one do you feel the most confident or stable with?

Bell: I’m more of an all-rounder, but I would say probably serving and spiking.

Birdie: For me, probably serving.

Q: How would you describe the different dynamics in the team? Do you think the seniors in the team help a lot with giving you tips and tricks? Is it kind of like a family dynamic or a business dynamic?

Birdie: I think family, the seniors are really nice and they help out with the positions and what each person should do, really just keeping everyone organized.

Q: So the volleyball club without the context of intergames is composed of both Thai program and international program?

Bell: yes, most of the time if it's not intergames season, I mainly play with the Thai program members. The people who guided us in year 1 were mainly from the Thai program and we tried to do the same with year 1’s but they haven't gotten the chance to meet them as much yet.

Q: Last question! What made you want to join the volleyball team?

Birdie: I just wanted to play volleyball.

Bell: I've wanted to play volleyball since forever but in high school, tennis was my main thing so I didn't get the chance to. So I joined volleyball in uni and it's been super fun, I'm okay at it!

And there you have it, lovely readers! As seen in the interview, our volleyball team is an open place to make friends, get to know our fellow faculty members and try out a new sport! We wish the best of luck to our wonderful volleyball team!

For any further inquiries, contact us through email at balac14stuco@gmail.com and for more news, follow us on Instagram (@balac.fm)

Written by: Tasha Thiparpha Airey

Proofread by: Pacharasorn Thummachote

Tasha Thiparpha Airey, is a second-year content writer who constantly teeters between absolute burnout and Miss Productivity (but let's be honest who doesn't feel this way), she likes tea and sleep (although she doesn’t get much of it). She enjoys petting the faculty cats and eating ร้านไก่ทอดอักษร’s กุยช่าย (yes you read that right, she doesn’t eat the chicken and sticky rice).