West Zone B Div Volleyball: Shuqun hold off Jurong to keep semi-final hopes alive

Hua Yi Secondary, Friday, February 10, 2012 — West Zone defending champions Shuqun Secondary valiantly held off Jurong Secondary to win 2-1 (25-21, 15-25, 25-22) in a Round 2 match of the West Zone B Division Girls’ Volleyball Championship. Having lost to Bukit Panjang 2-1 in their previous match, Shuqun needed a win to keep their hopes at qualifying for the semi-finals alive.

Despite Jurong scoring a total of 51 points compared to Shuqun’s 29 points, the glaring number of unforced errors and service faults by Jurong meant that the playing field became leveled. Jurong centre spiker Ong Qiuluan (#13) was the match’s top scorer with a total of 24 points. Her game-high performance of 19 kills was equal to the total number of kills put up by Shuqun, but the latter’s steadiness at the crucial moments meant that they were able to prevail at the end.

Jurong took the lead from the very start, but Shuqun were quick to close in.

Shuqun leveled the score at 10-10 after Shahirah (Shuqun #3) served an ace. They then took the lead when Jurong setter Huiyuh (#2) sent the ball into the net. Though Jurong took the next point to level the scores again, Shuqun once again pulled ahead.

Time-outs by Jurong at the 13-11 and 18-14 marks proved futile.

Towards the end of the set, Jurong began to threaten as they attempted a comeback. They were hot on the heels of Shuqun and rapidly closed in to force the latter to call a time-out at the 23-21 mark. Shuqun, however, managed to halt Jurong’s comeback attempt as they took set point with a lightly-tapped spike.

A Jurong team error in the subsequent rally consequently gave Shuqun the final point of the set.

The second set turned out differently as the fire within the Jurong team suddenly ignited. Jurong put up several good attacks and blitzed ahead to lead 7-2. With Qiuluan (Jurong #13) on the front line, the team took many points early in the set.

Shuqun’s attempts at keeping close were not helped by the errors in their play as well. Soon, they were staring at a seven-point gap as Jurong led 16-9.

Jurong continued their momentum and were leading 23-12 after Qiuluan’s (Jurong #13) spike off the Shuqun block. Unfortunately, Jurong could not take the next point as Qiuluan sent her serve out of bounds. Shuqun, however, returned the favour as they, too, sent their serve out of bounds.

Jurong sealed the second set 25-15 after a spiking fault by Shuqun.

Fresh from taking the second set, Jurong raced ahead to lead 7-2 again in the third set. However, Shuqun were not going down easily and leveled the score 11-11 after Kavis (Shuqun #11) sent her spike into an empty spot in Jurong’s court.

The score continued to be neck and neck as the teams were tied at the 13-point, 15-point, 16-point and 17-point marks. On many occasions, Jurong tied the scores but could not pull ahead as they committed service and defensive errors.

Jurong spikers Juliana (#11) and Aijia (#4) stepped up their games to post four kills each, an increase from the previous sets, but Jurong’s attacking power still seemed to be significantly weakened as main attacker Qiuluan (#13) appeared out of sorts in the third set.

Jurong’s inability to hold on at the crucial moment eventually allowed Shuqun to pull ahead late in the game to lead 19-17. Despite being just a slender lead, it gave Shuqun the psychological edge as they pushed towards match point.

Shuqun were soon leading 24-20 after Xiao Wen (Shuqun #13) stuffed out a loose ball from Jurong, but the latter were not content with giving Shuqun an easy win. Qiuluan (Jurong #13) saved two match points with powerful spikes from the centre for the team to trail 22-24.

But alas, it was not to be, as a spiking error from Jurong in the final rally gave Shuqun the final point, and a much needed win.

Shuqun propel themselves to the top of the table with three points from two matches played. The other team in the group, Bukit Panjang, are second with two points having beaten Shuqun 2-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-22) in an earlier game.

Jurong will next play Bukit Panjang in the final Round 2 match on Monday, February 13 in a bid to stay in the competition. A 2-0 win over Bukit Panjang will mean that they will top the group and proceed into the semi-finals alongside Shuqun Secondary. A 2-1 win will see all three teams level with three points each, with one facing the prospect of elimination.

Final score
Shuqun 2 Jurong 1
25-21, 15-25, 25-22

In an earlier match, Hua Yi Secondary ended Yuhua Secondary’s hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals with a 2-0 (25-4, 25-17) victory. They will play Nanyang Girls’ High on Monday to determine who finish on top of their group.

Shuqun vs Jurong - Match Statistics

Group standings [Teams who win by a scoreline of 2-0 are awarded 3 points. Those who win 2-1 are awarded 2 points while their opponents are awarded 1 point]

For more photos, go to the next page.