Jurong, Shuqun, Hua Yi and Bukit Panjang enter semi-finals of West Zone B Division girls volleyball

By Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports

Hua Yi Secondary, Monday, February 14, 2011 – Jurong Secondary booked a place in the semi-finals of the West Zone B Division Girls Volleyball Championship after seeing off Nanyang Girls’ High 2-0 (25-19, 25-11) in their Round 2 match. Jurong emerged top of their group whereas Nanyang Girls’, the 2010 runner-up, have been ousted from the tournament.

In the other group match, Shuqun Secondary held off Hua Yi Secondary 2-0 (25-15, 25-23) to head into the semi-final top of their group. It was a close set as Hua Yi constantly troubled Shuqun, particularly in the second set. However, Hua Yi were overcome by their opponents and finished second in the group.

Jurong started the set on a strong note as they blitzed to a 8-2 lead. Setter Lim Tingyee (#11) kept the pressure on Nanyang with several strong serves. Coupled with centre spiker Lim Ziqing’s (#8) guard at the net, Jurong had no problem chalking up the points. A time out by Nanyang at the 9-2 mark was not enough to stop Jurong’s advances as they continued their scoring streak, only allowing Nanyang to rake in points once in a while.

In the second half of the set, Jurong however committed several service faults. Unforced errors also started creeping into their game, as they lost several points to Nanyang. After two good serves from Nanyang, Nanyang closed the gap to within three points of Jurong, leading to the latter to call for a time out. Despite Nanyang keeping chase, Jurong were able to hold off their opponents and take set point after a powerful spike by Rachel Lau (Jurong #12) from the outside. Rachel then sealed the set in the next rally as she spiked down the Nanyang block to take the last point.

It was a close start in the second set as the scores remain neck and neck. However, Jurong constantly worked on extending their lead and soon had a 10-point lead over their opponents at the 20-10 mark. Nanyang had difficulty breaking the Jurong defense as their attacks could do little to finish off their opponents. Jurong soon saw themselves at match point after a strong serve from Rachel (Jurong #12). Despite sending her next serve out of bounds, Jurong finished off the match in style as Ziqing (Jurong #8) stuffed out a loose ball at the net with a powerful spike.

Jurong will now play second placed Hua Yi in the semi-final while Shuqun will play Bukit Panjang Government High. The final and 3rd/4th placing match will be held at Choa Chu Kang Sports Hall on Thursday, 17 February.

Final score
Jurong 2 Nanyang 0
(25-19, 25-11)

Shuqun 2 Hua Yi 0
(25-15, 25-23)

For more photos, go to the next page.