B Div Vball: St Hilda’s hold off Punggol in Group X match

Presbyterian High, Monday, March 19, 2012 — Defending champions St Hilda’s Secondary maintained their unbeaten run with a 2-0 (25-21, 25-18) victory over Punggol Secondary in a Round Two, Group X match at the National B Division Boys’ Volleyball Championship.

St Hilda’s scored a total of 39 points via 34 kills, two blocks and three service aces. Punggol on the other hand managed 23 points via 20 kills, two blocks and one service ace. However, do not let the numbers fool you as the match was a close fight from the start.

Punggol had started the match with a comfortable 6-1 lead as St Hilda’s took time to settle in. St Hilda’s continued to trail and called for a timeout at the 7-12 mark.

This marked the start of St Hilda’s comeback as they quickly came within distance of Punggol. They leveled the score 12-12, only for Punggol to pull ahead once again.

St Hilda’s kept up their chase and subsequently managed to exploit the weaknesses in Punggol’s play. Soon, St Hilda’s were scoring valuable points to turn the tables on Punggol. Despite Punggol’s best efforts, St Hilda’s were soon leading 24-21 after Denesh (Punggol #5) sent his spike into the net.

St Hilda’s then sealed the set after Punggol were unable to return in the next rally.

St Hilda’s continued their consistent play in the second set. Despite Punggol taking an early lead, St Hilda’s leveled the score and pulled ahead to lead 16-12.

St Hilda’s were playing at very fast pace and through their trick shots, they managed to score many more kills in the set. Punggol were not going down easy as well as Melson (Punggol #7) fronted the team’s attack with six kills in the set. However, it was not enough as St Hilda’s held on to firmly to their advantage.

A bad receive by Punggol ultimately saw St Hilda’s leading 24-17. The St Hilda’s #7 sent his next spike into the net for Punggol to take one point, but it was all that St Hilda’s were willing to give. They subsequently sealed the set 25-18 after forcing a touchout from the Punggol block.

St Hilda’s victory comes as a much welcomed result for the defending champions considered they are drawn in a tough group alongside Shuqun Secondary and Fairfield Methodist. Punggol will now need to overcome Shuqun Secondary in their faceoff on Wednesday in order to stand a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.

Final Score
St Hilda’s 2 Punggol 0
25-21, 25-18

National B Division Boys’ Volleyball Championship — fixtures and results
RedSportsVII: Who are your best 2012 B Division volleyball players?

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