COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The All-Army men's volleyball players slapped high fives and jumped in celebration on the court Sept. 12 after winning the Armed Force Volleyball tournament title. One day later, the All-Army women's team clinched its first Armed Force's Volleyball tournament title in nine years at Fort Carson.

The Army last swept both the men's and women's divisions in 2014 at the USA Nationals Volleyball tournament in Phoenix.

All-Armed Forces sports hosted the volleyball tournament for the first time since 2019 after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the tourney into an indefinite hold.

Army men's volleyball led by JBLM soldier

During one pivotal point in the All-Army men's team's Sept. 12 match with Air Force, Army Sgt. Michael Tuimavave powered a thunderous strike to the tile. The 6-foot-4 inch outside hitter, stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, strutted back playing to the crowd as fellow Army players cheered on.

The score put Army up 24-12 in the third set on the second day of the 2024 All Armed Forces Volleyball tournament.

Spc. Francisco Bautista-Santa, a 6-3 middle blocker from Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, closed out the set with kill at the net to put Army up 2-1 over Air Force. Army (5-1) then took the final set in dramatic fashion. Right outside hitter Asaleti Telea fired a spike through the Air Force defense to put Army up 25-24. The contest ended on an Air Force penalty.

With Army's fourth straight triumph, a 3-1 win over Air Force, the soldiers earned enough victories to be crowned tournament champion on the second day of the three-day tournament.

"I'm really blessed to be part of this team," said Telea, a specialist stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. "It means a lot to me playing along with my brothers."

Tuimavave, setter Julio Andino, 6-6 middle blocker Gabriel Misilagi, and outside hitters Telea and Sgt. Joe Ulrich (Yokota Air Base, Japan) all contributed points in the final set.

"Across the board everyone is great," said Misilagi, a sergeant assigned to Fort Irwin, California. "All 12 of us, we all put in the work, and the talent level was sky high."

Although only a few dozen spouses, family and supporters sat inside Fort Carson's William Reed Special Events Center, the Armed Forces Volleyball players created a raucous atmosphere.

Andino, a soldier from Puerto Rico, acted as the team's only true setter throughout the tournament playing long minutes. The commander of the team's second setter called that player back to duty days before the tournament.

"Other than running the court and being exhausted, he is also the psychologist," Army coach, Sgt. 1st Class Jaime Gonzalez, said. "He's got to talk to (the players) and make sure they're in the right place so that we could actually have a clean set."

Gonzalez said he originally cut 21-year-old Telea from the roster due to inexperience. But the coach changed his mind and Telea responded by making critical kills during the tournament from the right side.

"He was the surprise of the tournament," Gonzalez said.

Tuimavave, the team's captain and kills leader, also contributed aces when his team needed him throughout the tourney.

"Thank God that I have him on my team," Gonzalez said. "He did a lot of things that we needed, and he terminated a lot of plays that we needed.

The Army's 12 players began training camp at Fort Carson on Aug. 22 and practiced two to three times a day for three weeks, while also having gym workout sessions. They built camaraderie with team dinners and taking visits to a nearby lake.