Fairfield lose narrowly to Victoria

VOLLEYBALL

National Junior U-13 Boys Volleyball Championships 2007
Victoria School vs Fairfield Methodist Secondary
Tuesday, 17th November 2007 at Hougang Sports Hall

Pictures and story by Red Sports volunteer Lai Jun Wei.

Victoria School (VS) beat Fairfield Methodist (FMSS) 2-0 in a first-round Group D match at the U-13 Volleyball Championships 2007.

Both teams were seemingly equal in terms of skill and the tempo of the game was quite upbeat as both teams tried to break the other’s defence. The first set initially saw VS take a huge lead against FMSS. However, Oliver (#1, FMSS) managed to close the gap to seven points with his steady serves. However, it was not enough as VS managed to pull off the first set 25-23.

The second set saw similar action as FMSS were always closely behind VS. At the 20-17 mark, Oliver’s (#1, FMSS) spike deflected off the VS block to allow VS to inch closer to the win. However, the point was won back quickly with a powerful FMSS attack. The serve by the FMSS #10 however, found its way into the net to give VS a score of 22-18. On the next point, the VS libero hit a ‘first-ball’ towards the net. The VS setter jumped up for the tap but failed to get it across. Twice, Oliver’s spike from the back court was successfully deflected.

However, the second attempt saw the ball spin off FMSS #17’s hands and out of bounds. A failed drop-shot by VS #9 saw the score climb to 23-22. A ‘touch-out’ by FMSS’s #9 brought VS to a 24-22 scoreline. Oliver kept the FMSS hopes alive when his spike was deflected out of bounds by the VS blockers.

The game was brought to a deuce at the 24-point mark with a good serve by FMSS. VS gained the advantage when a spiker tapped the ball to the FMSS back court. The last point was won when the FMSS libero hit the ball out of bounds during return.

Final score: 2-0 (25-23, 26-24)

More pictures in the gallery.

Editor's note: If you recognise yourself or your teammates, or if we've got the names wrong, let us know and we'll update the captions. If you have the latest details of the Volleyball Championship, please update readers in the "comments" section. Thanks.