Team inferno turned on the fire when it mattered at the 2013 GEVA New Year’s Classic tournament. For what started as a slow day turned out to be a test from the heart. Inferno faced LIVBC for our first pool play. We won comfortably the first game but narrowly dropped the second game on unforced errors. Although our confidence was not shaken that loss was a subtle reminder that we have to play at a higher level to win our matches. The remainder of our pool matches was rather uneventful as we continued to improve as the day went on. We had comfortable wins against NYC Juniors 18N (2-0), Allegro 18 National (2-0), and Downstate 17 Black (2-0). Those wins earned us first place in our pool.
We knew we had our work cut out for us in the playoffs and we were up to the task. Our road to the finals took us through a strong Academy team which gave us a run for our money. This semi final was the beginning of our thriller. In a hard fought battle we came back from a 16-19 deficit to win the first game 25-23. Academy bounced back with furor and took away the 2nd game 18-25. We however would not be denied the right to play in the finals. In a seesaw battle that had both teams trading the leads only by one point, Team Inferno prevailed by winning the deciding third game 16-14.  At that point Team Inferno was playing the best volleyball of the day.
Team inferno was on a high as we approached the finals however we knew that it was just getting harder. Next in line was Apex 17 Magic which defeated Academy in pool play. As anticipated this final was another nail biter to the delight of all in attendance. Team inferno had to go the distance to win a well contested first game 26-24. Apex wanted the title as bad as we did and vowed to fight till the end. And that they did. Behind some strong serves Apex got a big start on the 2nd game 6-1. We pushed back but we were never able to close the gap. Apex won that game 20-25. 
With a good understanding of Apex’s game and the strength of our team we made some adjustments to better compete in the third game. It was one to remember. Not one team could advance past the other by more than one point. Both teams played a spirited game as if it was the last game of the season. We changed court at 8-7 leading and kept on going at each other until 14-14. A spectacular dig by Team Inferno followed by a roofing block earned the 15th point.  Point #16 came from another spectacular block of Apex’s best hitter…It was just in time for the coaching staff. Team Inferno went on to celebrate a well deserved tournament championship win.