Youth Olympic Volleyball: Singapore girls put up gutsy display in loss to Japan

Story by Noor Farhan/Red Sports. Photos by Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports

Toa Payoh Sports Hall, Sunday, August 22, 2010 – Despite starting the match positively with a tremendous display of teamwork, Singapore could not keep up their positive momentum early on in the first set as they lost in straight sets against Japan in Match 3 of Preliminary Pool A of Women’s volleyball.

Japan were tactically more aware during the game as they concentrated their offensive on Singapore’s fast tiring defense towards the end, handing the hosts a concise 9-25, 16-25, 9-25 defeat.

Japan started off the day’s proceedings by scoring first 10 seconds into the first set. Singapore placed themselves back into the game by mounting a fierce attack to put the score at 2-1 at a minute and a half.

Both sides did not give in, tieing at 6-6 at 5 minutes after Japan weathered the barrage of spikes into their zone. A great serve by Japan’s Chizu Ichikawa put the score at 8-12 against Singapore at 10:51. Singapore failed to gain much ground soon after, conceding the first set 9-25 in favour of Japan.

The Nippon girls again sought the early initiative at the start of the second set, this time at just seven seconds into the game. However, their uncharacteristic loss in focus gave Singapore the opportunity to even the score 4-4 at three minutes, and again at 8-8 in the seventh minute after making needless service errors.

Joelle Lim’s lightning spikes proved to be a thorn to the Japanese defence, narrowing the score to 10-12 as Singapore caught up with Japan’s rhythm of play in the tenth minute. However, Singapore’s vulnerabilities in defence scuffed their chances of a win as Japan steamrolled ahead to a 16-25 triumph at the end of the second set.

The final set saw Singapore again not getting the first points off their opponent, even as Japan built a momentous 7-3 lead over their hosts at the third minute. With Singapore unable to make any positive attacking moves, Japan gained the confidence to end the set 25-9 after 17 minutes.

“We did not do as well as we expected. We got tired and were not used to the playing style of Japan,” said Captain Joelle Lim, who thought her team could take the third set.

“(Japan) was very fast in adapting to us, as they changed strategy to apply what they learnt in the game,” she noted, on the opposing team’s strengths.

It was a view shared by teammated Marylyn Yeo, “They played fast, and we didn’t expect them to do (what they did). Towards the end, we could not focus and get back into the game.”

Final Result
Singapore 0 – 3 Japan
(9-25, 16-25, 9-25)

Singapore Lineup:
Joelle Lim Shu Yu (#1, Open Spiker, Captain), Tan Yi Ting (#2, Open Spiker), Dorita Peng Yet Ting (#3, Setter), Cassandra Tay Hwee Min (#4, Setter), Marylyn Yeo Qian Lin (#5, Centre), Michelle Chia Kah An (#6, Subset), Loh Ling Ying (#7, Open Spiker), Cheryl Chan Cai Ting (#9, Open SPiker), Ang Qi Hui (#10, Centre), Stephanie Ng Wei Ting (#11, Libero), Seah Siew Hoon (#12, Open Spiker), Jacqueline Chiang Ying Chern (#16, Centre)

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