B Division Girls’ Volleyball: Cedar Girls’ defeat Presbyterian High to deny St Hilda’s a place in second round of nationals

By Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports

Presbyterian High, Tuesday, March 8, 2011 — Few would have anticipated this result. But in a dramatic twist of fate, Cedar Girls’ made perhaps the biggest upset in the National Rounds so far when they beat Presbyterian High 2-0 (25-22, 25-19) in their final Group D match of the National B Division Girls’ Volleyball Championship. Their crucial win essentially denied St Hilda’s a place in the next round based on point difference. St Hilda’s, who were widely expected to progress together with Presbyterian High after beating Cedar Girls’ in their first match, were held 2-1 by Hua Yi (25-19, 21-25, 25-12) in their earlier match.

Presbyterian High, the North Zone champion and reigning U-16 champion were clearly the favourites right from the start. However, they were unfortunately without one of their key spikers Xin Ping (Presbyterian High #2) due to injury. Cedar capitalised on this right from the start. Despite Cedar being let down by service errors early in the set, they managed to hold off Presbyterian High as they kept the scores neck and neck. Presbyterian High we keen to flex their muscles, as they tried all means to break the Cedar defense, but they saw Cedar level the score 9-9 after a spike from the centre by Heng Yan Jing (Cedar #9) was just out of reach of Presbyterian High’s libero Hong Jiayi. Pua Le Jie (Presbyterian High #18) subsequently took the lead back for her team with a drop shot from the opposite corner but Cedar was constantly hot on their heels.

Presbyterian High were successful in keeping Cedar at bay as they carved out slender 18-14 lead for themselves but they could not hold on to their lead for long as Cedar quickly came charging back. Cedar came within one point of Presbyterian High after Charissa Beh (Cedar #7) sent a light tap to the unguarded centre of Presbyterian High’s court. Presbyterian High were not going to let Cedar have it easy, as Amanda Tan (Presbyterian High #11) duly took back control of the game with a spike from the outside.

But perhaps their nerves got to them as Presbyterian High suddenly stumbled to allow Cedar to catch up. Cedar went one up over Presbyterian High to lead 22-21, but Amanda (Presbyterian High #11) levelled the score when she stuffed out a spike. Cedar however gained the advantage once again after Cheryl (Cedar #10) sent back a loose ball into Presbyterian High’s court. Coupled with a bad spike from Presbyterian High at the next rally, Cedar subsequently stole the set from Presbyterian High as Yan Jing (Cedar #9) sent a spike from the opposite corner which was deflected out of bounds by Presbyterian High.

With Cedar’s morale boosted by this win, they were raring and going all out to take the second set. They brought the game to Presbyterian High as they engaged in several tight rallies. Cedar’s supporters, formed largely by the parents’ of the players, also lent their voice as they cheered and shouted for the team. This continuous voice of support certainly acted like Cedar’s seventh player on court as their playing style was visibly much more confident. Cedar were certainly a different team from their previous matches as they were going all out for every ball. Perhaps they knew the importance of the match, but the usual unforced errors which would often plague Cedar’s play was definitely something which did not surface.

Cedar took an early lead over Presbyterian High, prompting a time out by the latter at the 7-4 mark. However, they were still unable to stop Cedar from running off with the lead. The largest score difference Cedar held over Presbyterian High was at the 14-7 mark after seeing Charissa Beh (Cedar #7) serve an ace.

However, Presbyterian High were certainly not going down without a fight. Presbyterian High made several spectacular saves, particularly by libero Hong Jia Yi. Spiker Lim Hui Tien (Presbyterian High #1) and subset Sarah Lew (#4) also made an impact as they found ways to attack and put points on the scoreboard. Presbyterian High’s efforts paid off as they narrowed the score gap to three points to trail 17-20, prompting a time out from Cedar.

Cedar resumed the match putting out everything they had to hold up against Presbyterian High’s spikes. They manage to stop Presbyterian High’s scoring streak when Claire Teo (Cedar #5) forced a touch out with her spike. However, Hui Tien (Presbyterian High #1) promptly responded with a drop shot to take back serve for the team. Cedar summoned all their might and went for an all out chase to the final point. Their aggressiveness paid off and finally took match point after a spike by Charissa (Cedar #7).

In the rally for the last point, all eyes were on court to see if Presbyterian High could stage a comeback or whether Cedar could hold off Presbyterian High’s next attack. However, before anything could materialise, Presbyterian High was fouled for a ‘double’ gifting Cedar the final point, and the win.

Despite their loss, Presbyterian High can take consolation that they still qualify for the second round on top of their group while Cedar finish second based on point difference against St Hilda’s.

Final score
Cedar 2 Presbyterian High 0
25-22, 25-19

In the earlier match between St Hilda’s and Hua Yi, St Hilda’s would seemed to have qualified for the second round after seeing off Hua Yi 2-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-12). However, they were made to pay for dropping one set against Hua Yi, and eventually had their hopes dashed when Cedar made a surprise win to edge them out in terms of point difference. Hua Yi, who on the other hand, had their hard work pay off as they took their first set in their entire Nationals campaign. They were certainly a deserving team for their commending performance.

Hua Yi were already on high as they kept the scores close right from the start. As they had already been eliminated from, they had nothing to lose and played at their own pace. St Hilda’s on the other hand needed to win the match in order to stand a chance at qualifying. The difference in mentality certainly can be seen as Hua Yi brought the match to a tie at several occasion. Right until the 15-15 mark did St Hilda’s manage to break free from the stalemate and eventually take the set 25-19.

In the second set, Hua Yi blitzed off to an early lead, prompting a time out from St Hilda’s at the 9-3 mark. Hua Yi continued to play with all their hearts, and it certainly helped them in their cause as they continued to hold St Hilda’s at bay while they stormed to lead 15-8. Despite St Hilda’s managing to narrow the score gap to two points, Hua Yi held on to their advantage, and saw themselves at set point after a spike by St Hilda’s found the net. It was an ecstatic moment for them as they sealed the last point when they fired off an ace, taking the set deservingly.

In the rubber set, St Hilda’s re-established their dominance in the match. Though Hua Yi kept the score close, they eventually fell behind after the changeover. St Hilda’s never looked back after taking the lead, and went all the way to seal the set 25-12. However, losing the second set certainly put them at a disadvantage, and saw them eventually lose out on a qualification spot for the next round.

Final score
St Hilda’s 2 Hua Yi 1
25-19, 21-25, 25-12

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