B Div Vball: St Hilda’s bounce back to beat Dunman in semi-final

Presbyterian High, Friday, March 30, 2012 — In a match worthy of a championship final, five-time defending champions St Hilda’s Secondary bounced back from the brink of defeat to overcome Dunman Secondary 3-2 (25-20, 21-25, 27-25, 9-25, 15-13) in the semi-finals of the National B Division Boys’ Volleyball Championship.

St Hilda’s had earlier lost their East Zone crown to Dunman Secondary and were eager to avoid meeting the latter until very much later. However, their loss to Shuqun Secondary in Round Two meant that they finished in second spot and had to face off with Dunman at a very crucial stage. This time round, St Hilda’s managed to exact revenge on their East Zone rivals to qualify for the finals for a sixth consecutive time.

Looking at the numbers alone, Dunman should have won the match as they outscored St Hilda’s 76 to 61. Dunman had a staggering 60 kills, 11 blocks and five service aces while St Hilda’s posted 46 kills, nine blocks and six service aces. Four out of Dunman’s starting six players ended the match with double-digit scores, with Mark (Dunman #11) emerging the top scorer with 31 points scored from 27 kills and four blocks. St Hilda’s top scorer Royston (#3) had 21 points from 20 kills and one block.

Despite Dunman losing the first set to St Hilda’s, they came back fighting to take the second set. In the third set, they had pulled ahead to establish a comfortable five-point lead towards the end but saw St Hilda’s make a comeback to steal victory. Most had expected Dunman to win the rubber set especially since they thrashed St Hilda’s 25-9 in the fourth set but the defending champions showed what they were really made of and held off Dunman’s challenge to win 15-13.

Dunman had started the first match on a good note as they took the early lead. However, St Hilda’s managed to catch up midway and pulled ahead after a series of hit errors by Dunman. Despite Dunman’s efforts, they could not stop St Hilda’s advances as the latter pulled away to win 25-20.

In the second set, Dunman broke free from an initial stalemate to pull a 15-12 lead over St Hilda’s. They further extended their lead as they eventually lead 23-16. St Hilda’s did not go down without a fight as they held Dunman for three points to bring the score to 23-19.

Dunman called a timeout and this broke St Hilda’s serve as Darius (St Hilda’s #1) sent his serve out of bounds upon the restart. However, Dunman simply could not get the last point as St Hilda’s continued to hold them for two more points. It was only after Jeremy (St Hilda’s #12) spiked out of bounds did Dunman win the set 25-21.

Dunman continued their winning form in the third set as they established a decisive lead right at the start. St Hilda’s soon found themselves trailing 8-15 and were forced to call a timeout. Royston (St Hilda’s #3) managed to break Dunman’s momentum as he scored via a quick ball on the restart.

St Hilda’s then began their comeback as they came charging back into the game. Despite Dunman managing to hold a five-point lead several times, they eventually let slip their lead as St Hilda’s narrowed the difference to three points at 23-20 after Josiah (St Hilda’s #7) blocked Wei Xiang (Dunman #7).

Kok Soon (Dunman #1) managed to take set point in the next rally as he forced a touch out but Dunman were again unable to take the last point after Wei Xiang (Dunman #7) sent his serve out of bounds.

St Hilda’s continued to hold Dunman at the 24-point mark and drew to 23-24 after a service ace by Justin (St Hilda’s #6). Dunman then saw their lead erased as Justin (St Hilda’s #6) served yet another ace, with his ball clipping the net and falling into the 3m-zone.

Unfortunately, a team error by St Hilda’s allowed Dunman to take the lead once again. Dunman’s woes continued as Mark (Dunman #11) spiked out of bounds. St Hilda’s took the lead for the first time in the set as Bryan (St Hilda’s #4) fired off a service ace.

Dunman then had to pay the price for failing to hold on to their lead as St Hilda’s snatched the set away from them, blocking an attempt by Darren (Dunman #12).

Dunman were not about to hand St Hilda’s the fourth set as they raced off to another good start. St Hilda’s experienced a sudden drop in form as they capitulated to see Dunman lead 17-8.

A timeout at this point could not reverse their fortunes as Dunman continued on to win 25-9.

The fifth set was probably the most exciting one as both teams were neck and neck right from the start. The nervousness of the players could certainly be seen as many sent their serve out of bounds. At the changeover, St Hilda’s were only holding on to a slender one-point lead. Dunman managed to pull ahead to lead 10-8 but St Hilda’s quickly came back in and tied the set subsequently at the 11-11.

Dunman called for a timeout and this briefly settled their nerves as they pulled ahead to lead 13-11.

However, St Hilda’s came back fighting and leveled the score 13-13, prompting another timeout by Dunman. They could not stop St Hilda’s advances as the latter took the lead via a well placed drop shot. As the fight in the last rally grew intense, a spiking error by Dunman gifted St Hilda’s the final point as the defending champions manage to successfully hold off their fiercest rivals this year.

St Hilda’ will now play in their sixth consecutive championship final and will be facing Shuqun Secondary on Tuesday, April 3 at Toa Payoh Sports Hall. Despite Shuqun having beaten St Hilda’s during their previous meeting, St Hilda’s might just pull off yet another surprise to defend their title for one more year.

Dunman will now play in the 3rd/4th placing match against Catholic High on Monday, April 2.

Final Score
St Hilda’s 3 Dunman 2
25-20, 21-25, 27-25, 9-25, 15-13

St Hilda's vs Dunman - Match Statistics

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