B Div Vball (Girls): Jurong survive scare from Sembawang to finish top of Group A

Presbyterian High, Monday, March 5, 2012 –- Defending champions Jurong Secondary scraped through to a 2-1 (25-18, 16-25, 25-23) victory over Sembawang Secondary to finish top of Group A at the National B Division Girls’ Volleyball Championship.

Sembawang came into the match with one win and one loss, and victory over Jurong would see the team stand a good chance at progressing into the second round.

Sembawang had taken the lead in the first set only for Jurong to make a comeback. Errors by Jurong in the second set then allowed Sembawang to win. However, they let slip their lead in the third set to allow Jurong to steal victory.

Jurong had outclassed Sembawang in the kill tally, with Jurong posting 42 kills compared to Sembawang’s 19 kills. Ong Qiuluan (Jurong #13) dominated the scoring tally with 29 points scored via 22 kills, six blocks and one service ace. Cao Aijia (Jurong #4) was second on the tally with 16 points from 15 kills and one block.

Despite this, Jurong had a startling number of hit errors, making a total of 25 errors as opposed to seven by Sembawang.

Sembawang took advantage of Jurong’s errors and grabbed the lead at the start. Jurong managed to level 6-6, but Sembawang pulled ahead to lead once again. Jurong then had to play catch up before coming back to tie the score 15-15.

Qiuluan (Jurong #13) subsequently took the lead for Jurong after successfully blocking a loose ball. This time round, Jurong did not falter and blitzed ahead.

Timeouts by Sembawang at the 19-16 and 22-17 mark could not stop Jurong’s scoring streak. Two consecutive service aces by Juliana (Jurong #11) after the timeout brought Jurong to set point.

A setting error by Huiyuh (Jurong #2) in the next rally broke Jurong’s scoring streak, but Aijia (Jurong #4) promptly finished off the set in the next rally as she powered her spike into an empty spot in Sembawang’s court.

Sembawang stepped up their defenses in the second set as they successfully managed to block many spikes from Jurong.

They scored from seven blocks in the set as Jurong struggled to put points on the scoreboard. Jurong were continuously plagued by spiking errors as they committed a total of 12 spiking errors to give Sembawang the advantage. Qiuluan’s (Jurong #13) seven spike errors across the set eventually saw Sembawang leading 22-16.

Jurong were unable to reverse their fortunes as they watched Sembawang pull ahead to finish the set 25-16.

Jurong started the third set with the advantage. By the changeover, they were holding a comfortable lead at 13-8.

However, a lapse in concentration saw Sembawang bring themselves right back into the game. After some tight rallies, Sembawang scored two service aces to see themselves just one point away from Jurong.

The score was then tied 13-13 after another setting error by Huiyuh (Jurong #2).

Sembawang turned the tables on Jurong as they took the lead. They pulled ahead to lead 17-14, prompting Jurong to call for a timeout.

Qiuluan (Jurong #13) continued to be plagued with a shaky performance as spiking errors from her allowed Sembawang to further extend their lead.

Things eventually started to turn around as Jurong managed to stage a comeback. They pulled to within one point of Sembawang, before a powerful serve from Juliana (Jurong #11) tied the score 22-22.

Aijia (Jurong #4) then stole the lead from Sembawang after a strong spike. Jurong subsequently took match point after Aijia (Jurong #4) successfully blocked a spike by Sembawang.

Unfortunately for Jurong, they sent their next serve out of bounds to see the score at 24-23.

It was an intense moment as Sembawang tried to even the odds. However, Aijia (Jurong #4) sealed victory for the team after a spike to the back line.

Final score
Jurong 2 Sembawang 1
25-18, 16-25, 25-23

Sembawang, who finished fourth in the North Zone competition certainly won praise for their performance in the Nationals, showing that they were no pushovers in their matches against Jurong and Dunman Secondary. They even staged a win over South Zone second runner-up Fairfield Methodist.

Jurong finish on top of the group with three wins from three matches played. However, their performance had been far from convincing compared to their performance in the earlier stages of the competition. Should they play like they did today, they will certainly face an uphill battle in retaining their crown particularly in the second round of the competition.

National B Division Girls’ Volleyball Championship — fixtures and results

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