B Division Girls’ Volleyball: Dunman back on track after beating Xinmin in nationals

By Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports

Presbyterian High, Thursday, March 3, 2011 — Dunman Secondary are back on track in their quest to retain their title after seeing off Xinmin Secondary 2-0 (25-20, 25-10) in a round one Group B match at the National B Division Girls’ Volleyball Championship. After an unfortunate loss to Jurong Secondary in their previous match, a win over Yuying Secondary in their next match will assure them a place in the second round.

The first set was a close encounter. Dunman were able to hold on to a slender lead for most parts of the set, but Xinmin pulled a fast one over them and went ahead to lead by one point at the 14-15 mark. This prompted a time out from Dunman, which saw them eventually level the score again at the 16-point mark.

With the set continuing to be neck and neck till the 18-point mark, Dunman finally broke free from the stalemate and charged ahead. They soon found themselves at set point with Xinmin trailing four points behind. The last point was certainly won in style for Dunman. Off a free ball from Xinmin, Ong Weiyu (Dunman #3) promptly sent the ball from the centre to the right corner to finish off the set for Dunman.

In the second set, Dunman seemed to be a completely different team as they flexed their prowess right from the start. They quickly stormed off to a 6-0 lead, forcing a timeout from Xinmin. However, Celine (Dunman #9) subsequently fired off a service ace to continue Dunman’s scoring streak. The Dunman attacks were certainly working as spikers Weiyu (#3) and Faith (#7) continuously sent unreturnable spikes into Xinmin’s court.

Their blitz eventually gave Dunman a staggering 15-point advantage to lead 18-3. Xinmin were not going down easily as Rachael (Xinmin #1) put up a strong defense for the team by stopping several Dunman spikes at the net. Coupled with unforced errors in Dunman’s play, Xinmin were able to score several points.

Dunman continued to hold on, and took themselves to 23-10 after a spike from the Dunman #5. She subsequently went on to take match point for the team, and finished off the match after her spike deflected out of bounds off the Xinmin #18’s block.

Final score
Dunman 2 Xinmin 0
(25-20, 25-10)

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