B Division Girls’ Volleyball: Jurong see off Fairfield Methodist to emerge as champions

By Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports

Toa Payoh Sports Hall, Wednesday, April 6, 2011 — Jurong Secondary’s wait for the championship trophy has finally arrived after a five-year period when they dispatched Fairfield Methodist 3-1 (25-14, 25-9, 27-29, 25-18) at the 2011 National B Division Girls’ Volleyball Final.

Lim Zi Qing (Jurong #8) led Jurong’s scoring with 18 kills, five blocks and three service aces. Jurong had a total of 43 kills, six blocks and 19 service aces. Fairfield were limited to 22 kills, six blocks and six service aces throughout the match.

It was an easy first two set for Jurong as they strolled through to win with ease. After a series of rallies in the first set where both teams were tied 3-3, Jurong stormed ahead to leave Fairfield in their wake. Timeouts by Fairfield at the 12-4 and 19-8 mark could do little to stop Jurong’s rampage as they quickly took set point after a service ace by Rachel Lau (Jurong #12). Despite Rachel serving out of bounds at the next point, Lim Zi Qing (Jurong #8) sealed the set with a spike from the centre to the left corner.

It was a similar no-contest in the second set as Jurong raced to lead 17-7. Time outs by Fairfield in between did little to stop Jurong’s scoring streak as Jurong soon found themselves at 24-9 after a spike by Rachel (Jurong #12) was deflected out of bounds by the Fairfield libero Loke Si Min (#11).

The third set saw the match being taken a level down as Jurong allowed Fairfield to keep the match close. Despite Jurong starting off with a 6-2 lead, Fairfield quickly caught up 10-9, prompting a time out from Jurong. Ong Qiuluan (Jurong #2) subsequently prevented Fairfield from tying with a spike from the outside. Fairfield were hot on Jurong’s heels with only a small gap separating the two. Jurong look set to take the set with ease, but Fairfield were not going down easy. Spikes by Jermaine Tan (Fairfield #16) notched several valuable points for the team as Fairfield gradually narrowed the score gap to two points at 22-20, prompting a time out from Jurong.

Upon resumption however, Fairfield levelled the scores 22-22 after two successful drop shots into the Jurong court. Fairfield then took the lead for the first time after a spike by Jermaine (Fairfield #16) from the outside clipped the net and caught Jurong offguard. Despite Rachel (Jurong #12) levelling the scores once again, Jermaine (Fairfield #16) answered with another spike from the outside to bring Fairfield to set point. Rachel (Jurong #12) came to her team’s rescue once again with a drop shot from the outside to bring the match into a deuce. Jurong went on to save three more set points, managing to level the score 27-27. However, Zi Qing (Jurong #8) sent her serve into the net to see Fairfield take the lead once again. This time round, Jurong could not save the set point as they saw Fairfield steal the set after a spike from the outside from Jermaine (Fairfield #16).

With the win, Fairfield were rejuvenated and sought to emulate their performance in the third set. Jurong’s defense encountered problems with their receive, allowing Fairfield to close in on their lead. Fairfield reduced Jurong’s lead to just one point at 10-9 after Koh Hui Hui (Fairfield #2) served to the line. Jurong promptly called for a time out to reorganise, but a net touch by Qiuluan (Jurong #2) on the restart saw Fairfield level 10-10. Jurong were not going to let Fairfield steal the set from them and pulled ahead.

At the 15-11 mark, Fairfield called for a time out in an attempt to break Jurong’s momentum. However, Jurong’s scoring streak continued with an ace from Shandy Tan (Jurong #5).They quickly put themselves in the hotseat as they commanded a comfortable 23-16 lead. Fairfield were not going down without a fight as Chew Jia Hui (Fairfield #15) sent an unreturnable spike into Jurong’s court.

Tan Li Bing (Jurong #9) subsequently spiked out of bounds from the opposite corner to see the score stand at 23-18. Jurong promptly called for a time out to organise their final charge, and they were gifted the advantage after Chew Jia Le’s (Fairfield #14) serve went out of bounds. With Li Bing (Jurong #9) on serve, all eyes were on Fairfield to see if they could hold off Jurong’s win. As Li Bing’s serve went over the net, Fairfield stumbled, and saw the ball hit the ground to give Jurong their last point, and the win.

Captain of Jurong Secondary, Rachel Lau, felt that this win was particularly memorable. “We actually revived ourselves after having lost to Ngee Ann Secondary in the group stages. Another loss and we would be out, simple as that. But we pulled through and entered the semi-finals to face the defending champion Dunman Secondary. It felt great to know that our hard work and effort paid off as we emerged national champions. Though we had some trouble settling down at the start, we eventually managed to do so and played our best.

Fairfield did great, with Jermaine delivering strong serves which we were unable to return causing us to lose points consecutively. The twins, Jia Le and Jia Hui, did well too with their consistent spikes. They truly deserved their win in the third set as they were determined, strong and gave us a good fight.”

Jurong’s journey certainly had not been an easy one. Rachel shared, “The second round of the Nationals was a significant part. [Having lost to Ngee Ann in the first group match], we faced two subsequent matches and the semi-final after that. Any loss during these three matches would have killed our chances at being the champion. But we were set on our goal, so we gritted our teeth and gave it all in all three matches and we finally entered the final with a story to tell. Our hard work was shown on court, didn’t it?

I think the person who deserves the most compliments should be our setter, Ting Yee. It was her perseverance to win and set well that allowed our spikers to deliver their attacks, winning point after point as a result. Her endless determination and courage to take the second ball allowed our first-ball receivers to receive confidently knowing that there would be someone there to get the next touch.

Another two would be Qiuluan and Qiufeng. The two of them are only in Secondary Three. But their bravery on court should be taken note of and given their well deserved praise. For example in our crucial match against Shuqun, Qiuluan’s performance was worth praising as she really gave it all to deliver spikes which was rarely seen from her.

Qiufeng’s performance during the semi-finals was awesome, going for balls that she usually failed to get to. Her consistency in that match boosted our confidence as we all knew that she would be there receive the strong spikes and serves.”

Final score
Jurong 3 Fairfield 1
25-14, 25-9, 27-29, 25-18

Key statistics [Kills, Blocks, Aces]
Rachel Lau (Jurong #12) – [13, 1, 5]
Lim Zi Qing (Jurong #8) – [18, 5, 3]
Tan Li Bing (Jurong #9) – [8, -, 1]
Lim Ting Yee (Jurong #11) – [-, -, 7]

Chew Jia Le (Fairfield #14) – [5, 3, 1]
Jermaine Tan (Fairfield #16) – [13, -, -]
Koh Hui Hui (Fairfield #2) – [-, -, 4]

Jurong team roster:
Ho Yi Ning Eunice (#1), Ong Qiuluan (#2), Ong Qiufeng (#3, Libero), Shandy Tan Wan Yan (#5), Clarice Tan En Qi (#6, Libero), Gigi Khung (#7), Lim Zi Qing (#8), Tan Li Bing (#9), Ng Wei Chi Felicia (#10), Lim Ting Yee (#11), Lau Yue Ting Rachel (#12, Captain), Teo Huiyuh (#15)

Fairfield team roster:
Koh Hui Hui (#2), Ho Sian Sue (#5), Brenda Goh Zhi Qi (#6), Seah Ningsui Adeline (#7), Jocelyn Bong Lin-Ling (#10), Loke Si Min (#11, Libero), Tan Jing Hui (#12), Yeo Sharmin (#13), Chew Jia Le (#14), Chew Jia Hui (#15), Tan Li Chan Jermaine (#16, Captain), Lee Ying Ning (#17)

For more photos, go to the next page.