B Division Girls’ Volleyball: Jurong hold off Xinmin to top Group B; Dunman qualify for second round with win over Yuying

By Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports

Presbyterian High, Tuesday, March 8, 2011 — Jurong Secondary made a comeback in the second set to hold off Xinmin Secondary 2-0 (25-12, 25-21) in their final Group B match at the National B Division Girls’ Volleyball Championship. In the other group match, Dunman Secondary saw off Yuying Secondary 2-0 (25-7, 25-20) to earn a spot in the second round of the competition. With their win, Jurong take top spot in the group whereas Dunman finish second.

Jurong had a shaky start to their match as they had problems settling in. Jurong faltered three consecutive times on their serve as Rachel Lau (Jurong #12), Lim Tingyee (#11) and Lim Zi Qing (#8) all found trouble with their serves. Jurong were also unable to make any impact with their spikes and saw Xinmin keep the score neck and neck with them.

However, Jurong soon found their momentum and broke free from the 9-9 tie to establish a slender lead. After a time out at the 11-9 mark, Jurong were suddenly revived and started their rampage. Point after point, Jurong continued to rake in the numbers as Xinmin buckled under the pressure. With Jurong leading 20-12, Tingyee (Jurong #11) went up to serve and continued piling on the pressure. They soon took set point after a powerful serve by Tingyee (Jurong #11) was deflected out of bounds by the Xinmin #18. Zi Qing (Jurong #8) then spiked off the Xinmin block to seal the first set.

Things were very different in the second set as Xinmin turned the tables on Jurong. The Xinmin #10 fired off three aces for Xinmin to take the lead. Coupled with unforced errors from Jurong, Xinmin pulled ahead to lead 6-0. Jurong only managed to break Xinmin’s serve when Rachel (Jurong #12) took advantage of a chaotic situation to send the ball into Xinmin’s court.

However, Xinmin were unfazed and continued raking in points to lead 9-2. Subsequently, Jurong did manage to close in, only for Xinmin to pull ahead once again. At the 15-9 mark, Jurong promptly called for a time out to reorganise. This was the beginning of Jurong’s great comeback. Earlier on, Rachel (Jurong #12) was finding trouble getting the ball over, but with team mates Zi Qing (#8) and Li Bing (#9) rotated to the front row, Jurong had more options in their attacks and promptly responded to Xinmin.

Point by point, Jurong slowly closed in while Xinmin edged ever closer to set point. With Xinmin leading 20-14, Jurong called for their second time out. It seemed as if it this set was going to be a lost cause, but Jurong came back fighting, and continued holding Xinmin at the 20-point mark. Soon, Jurong found themselves trailing by just one point after a powerful spike by outside spiker Li Bing (Jurong #9). Zi Qing (Jurong #8) then served an ace to level the score 20-20.

Having nullified Xinmin’s huge lead, Jurong’s morale was certainly high. They turned the tables on Xinmin as they took the lead after seeing their opponents unable to return the ball. With the score at 22-21 and both Li Bing (#9) and Zi Qing (#8) rotated to the backcourt, the task of finishing of the set fell onto the shoulders of Rachel (Jurong #12). Rachel promptly stepped up her game and took home the next point with a strong spike from the outside. She certainly took up her role well and brought her team to match point as well. Off a free ball in the next rally, Rachel (Jurong #12) sent the ball to the far left corner to seal the match for her team as the broke out in due celebration.

Final score
Jurong 2 Xinmin 0
25-12, 25-21

In the second Group B match, Dunman Secondary confirmed their spot in the second round after seeing off Yuying Secondary (25-7, 25-20). Having one loss and one win under their belt, it was crucial that Dunman secured a win to progress.

Indeed, Dunman saw the need to win and stormed to an early lead. Via spikes from Ong Weiyu (Dunman #3), Dunman commanded a 3-0 lead, and further went ahead to extend their lead. Time outs by Yuying at the 8-2 mark and 14-5 mark provided no respite for Yuying as Dunman continued their onslaught. With Faith (Dunman #7) holding serve, Dunman quickly sealed the set 25-7.

In the second set, Dunman rotated almost their entire roster as they fielded their reserves. Despite it being a much closer encounter than before, Dunman managed to hold on to their advantage. Subsequently, they finished off the match 25-20.

Final score
Dunman 2 Yuying 0
25-7, 25-20

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