A preview of the 2009 Inter-School B Division Volleyball Championship (Boys)

By Lai Jun Wei

Volleyball teams have been gearing up for next year's Inter-School B Division Volleyball Championships with the recently concluded U-16 Volleyball Championship giving a sneak preview of who some of the strongest teams are.

We did a poll to see which schools are likely to be the Big Four schools for the B Division Volleyball Championship and the results were not surprising. The analysis below is solely based on my observations and guesses. If you have your version, please do feel free to send in your predictions for next season. 🙂

Boys

In the boys' category, St Hilda's Secondary did not disappoint everyone as they emerged as U-16 champions again. With their towering centre #7 guarding the net, St. Hilda's tend to be a formidable force in stuffing out attacks, especially if he's teamed up with another player.

With their nimble setter (#1) able to adapt quickly in various situations, the attack is given a boost as he is still able to find his mark much of the time.

But gone are the days when St. Hilda's dominated the court and swept aside their opponents without breaking much of a sweat.

In previous years, St Hilda’s won championships without dropping a single set. This year, the team experienced several close shaves, almost falling to Xinmin in both their encounters.

But what is commendable is that they always manage to stage a comeback despite being at a disadvantage.

From the stands, there is no sign of discontent among the players and encouragement is given rather than blame when they lose a point. Perhaps this might be the motivating factor which drives them to success.

My personal take is that they most probably will be at the championship final again next year.

From the start, Yishun Town Secondary did not look like a probable top four finisher. They also fell out of the Top Four in the readers' poll, finishing fifth (see below).

Yishun Town have seen a drop in their standards compared to the early 2000s when they were both a powerhouse in the North Zone and the National championship.

But they proved everyone wrong when they overcame all odds to emerge second in this year's U-16.

Yishun Town definitely earned their spot with pure determination as their victories were won with close margins. In several matches in the U-16, they would take the game by winning the rubber by just a few points.

With spikers Esmond (#7) and Ernest (#12) leading most of the attacks, Yishun Town would most often hold off till the end to snatch victory from their opponents.

While they may not have the most graceful of moves, it only adds to their opponents' woes as the blockers would find it harder to predict Yishun Town's line of attack.

Yishun Town has a chance to make it far in next year's B Division Championship if they keep up their playing standards, but my feel is that they might just fall short of making it to the Top Four judging from the other schools' performance.

But they definitely should have no problems making it into the quarter-finals.

Xinmin Secondary definitely deserved a shot at the U-16 championship title but bad luck in Round Two saw them face St. Hilda's in the semi-final.

It was a close fight which saw the match go to five sets. Xinmin saw the most dramatic improvement in their playing standards with their formidable attacks coming in through well-played tactics.

After being in the doldrums for a period of time, there has been resurgence in strength and the era where Xinmin dominated looks set to start again.

Spikers Gilbert Toh (#7), Deepak Rai (#13), and Sean Tan (#18) can put up a lethal attack while setter Malcolm Han (#9) is also potent with his sudden drop shots.

If they keep this up, they look set to be the most possible contender for the B Division championship trophy next year.

Shuqun and Catholic High showed the most disappointing performance in the U-16 this year. While Shuqun managed to finish fourth, Catholic High dropped out in Round 2.

Shuqun definitely had no problems making their presence felt as they always built up a steady lead. But often, they had difficulty holding on to that lead as their opponents caught up through careless errors on their part.

Spiker Lawrence Tan (#4) definitely forms the backbone of the attack. Brandy Seah (#1) is also lethal with his drop shots.

But with the graduation of former setter Muhd Anwar, the team seemed to have seen a dent to their offense. Not that the current setter is not up to standards, but the era when Anwar dominated the front court was a glorious time for Shuqun.

Opponents would almost tremble once he looked over and they would frantically try to cover up any empty space for Anwar's drop shots were one shot, one kill.

Catholic High also saw a drop in their attacking strength with spiker Melvin Goh moving on to the A Division. Their play has arguably taken a serious dent.

Dunman Secondary on the other hand showed great improvement from previous years. Spiker Yikai (#6) muscles his shots through the block, and they definitely have a decent defense.

They beat Shuqun and Yishun Town in their meet ups, but bad luck saw them miss out on the semi-final on a countback.

These three schools should have no problems making it into the National quarter-finals, but who eventually progresses into the semi-final would be determined by who manages to outlast the other.

Hillgrove Secondary drew a good deal of attention this season as they showed a dramatic improvement in skills. Though they were knocked out in the group stages at the U-16 championship, they did not go down without a fight, and improvements in their play were very much visible.

Their performance at a recent friendly tournament organized by Sembawang Secondary saw them exhibit a commendable performance.

Despite showing a certain level of improvement, Hillgrove still have some distance to catch up before being of a substantial threat to the other volleyball powerhouses.

They certainly will make some waves in their zone, but they might need luck on their side as well to make it into the final four at National level.

Likely Top Four (in no particular order): St. Hilda's Secondary, Xinmin Secondary, Dunman Secondary, Shuqun Secondary/Catholic High

Editor’s note: Want to submit your own take on next year’s B Division? Send it to us here. 🙂

Related post: A preview of next year's B Division Volleyball (Girls)

REDpoll

The results of a reader poll done earlier.

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