By Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports

The Combined Schools Girls’ volleyball team will be participating in the Asian School Girls Volleyball Championship in Da Nang, Vietnam, from August 22nd to 26th. The week-long tournament will see teams from China, Hong Kong, Iran, Macau, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and hosts Vietnam compete against each other.

Held at the Tien Son Sport Complex in Da Nang, this championship seeks to help foster exchange and learning. Also, visits to cultural locations such as the Marble Mountains and Hoi An Ancient City have also been lined up for the visiting teams.

The Singapore team will be helmed by coach William Chua, with the team consisting players ranging from Secondary Three to JC2. Many players will also be making their debut for the team.

Team captain, Cassandra Tay, a JC2 student in Hwa Chong Institution, will be representing the Combined Schools for the third year. She joined the team in Secondary Three while in Presbyterian High and also played for the team in the subsequent year. Having been drafted to the Youth Olympic Games squad in JC1, she makes a return to the squad this year once again.

Being one of the most senior and experienced player on the team, Cassandra feels that the pressure to perform is certainly on.

She shared, “Playing in the Combined Schools team is a totally different experience compared to the YOG team. We knew how it was like to play in an international game and everyone could support one another. But in the Combined Schools team, I think that I would have to guide them as many of them are first timers.

But of course in every team, there are always new things to pick up and improve from there. There is bound to be pressure on me to perform because I am one of the oldest there. But I think this is a kind of positive energy that spurs me on to perform each time I play!”

As for being able to don the Singapore colours once again, she said, “I definitely feel proud to be able to represent Singapore again. Ms Teo, one of our YOG team coaches, told us before that when we put on our jersey we must feel proud and good in it!”

One of the players making her debut for the Combined Schools’ team is Rachel Lau from Jurong Secondary. As captain of the team, she played an instrumental role in guiding the team to the B Division Girls’ Championship title earlier in the year.

She shared, “Being able to play for the Combined Schools is an honour for me as I have never thought of myself being able to achieve that. The pressure for me is definitely high as I’ve always set goals for myself though I’m not meeting any of it. So actually, I am pressurising myself quite a lot. Everyone will be looking at you and your performance, and especially when people around play so well, you will see the need for yourself to play well too. I guess that’s when most of the pressure will set in.”

Pua Le Jie, a Secondary Three student from Presbyterian High, will be the youngest player on the team. She commented, “I feel very stressed out as I do not know whether I will be a burden to the team. But this experience excites me as I can see how the team plays against other stronger opponents. [Being able to play and train with better-skilled seniors and opponents], I hope that I can gain a new experience and become a better and stronger player.”

The team will depart on Saturday August 20th, and will return on Sunday, August 28th.

Combined Schools Team Roster
Cassandra Tay (Captain) – Hwa Chong Institution
Clarissa Hon – Shuqun Secondary
Claira Ng – Dunman Secondary
Eleanor Chua – Hwa Chong Institution
Hong Jiayi (Libero) – Presbyterian High
Jolly Chan – Anderson Secondary
Lim Qian Wen – Nanyang Junior College
Lim Zi Qing – Jurong Secondary
Ong Weiyu – Dunman Secondary
Pua Lejie – Presbyterian High
Rachel Lau – Jurong Secondary
Ryshire Wu – Queensway Secondary

Coach: Mr William Chua