South Zone B Div Volleyball: Catholic High hold off Clementi Woods for first win of season

Poon Pei Jie (Catholic High #1) spikes away from the Clementi Woods block. (Photo 1 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)

CCAB, Tuesday, January 17, 2012 — Defending champions Catholic High held off a resilient Clementi Woods 2-0 (25-18, 26-24) to win their opening match in the South Zone B Division Boys’ Volleyball Championship.

Catholic High had a tough first set as mistakes in their play gifted Clementi Woods several points. It was a close fight in the early half of the first set as the teams were neck and neck. However, Catholic High managed to pull away late in the set to take a one-set advantage.

Catholic High faced problems early in the second set as a yellow card handed out right before play caused some upset in the team’s balance. Clementi Woods took advantage as they raced to a 6-1 lead. Catholic High however managed to settle back in and fought back to level the scores 7-7. They then turned the tables on Clementi Woods to take a 12-7 lead.

However, their advantage was short-lived as Clementi Woods found ways to close the gap. With the scores tied at 18-18, it was Catholic High who managed to pull ahead. A stroke of bad luck subsequently saw Catholic High lose the lead to trail 22-24 but Clementi Woods were unable to take the set as mistakes in their play saw the set reach a deuce.

Catholic High continued their momentum and took the next point, before Humphrey Chua (Catholic High #13) took the final point with a service ace. Clementi Woods had mistakenly thought that the ball was heading out of bounds and chose not to receive, ultimately gifting Catholic High the final point and the win.

In the later group matches, Zhonghua Secondary defeated Queenstown Secondary 2-0 (25-13, 25-12) while Ang Mo Kio Secondary came back from one set down to beat Bukit Merah Secondary 2-1 (23-25, 25-6, 25-3).

Results of the day
Catholic High beat Clementi Woods Secondary 2-0 (25-18, 26-24)
Zhonghua beat Queenstown 2-0 (25-13, 25-12)
Ang Mo Kio beat Bukit Merah 2-1 (23-25, 25-6, 25-3)

South Zone B Division Volleyball Championship Fixtures

Groupings
Group A:
Catholic High
Ang Mo Kio
Bukit Merah
Queensway
Clementi Woods

Group B:
Fairfield Methodist
Zhonghua
Queenstown
Chong Boon