Story by Jiexin Neo/Red Sports. Photos by Clara Yuan/Red Sports
Poon Pei Jie (HCI #1) spikes against Koh Zhe Wei (DHS #2) and Sean Lew (DHS #13). (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)
Physical Education and Sports Education Branch, Friday, May 9, 2014 — Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) beat Dunman High School (DHS) 3–1 (21–25, 25–18, 25–23, 25–21) in the A Division Boys Volleyball Championship to finish third.
The two teams last met in their final group game in round two, where HCI won 2–1 to enter the semi-finals.
For DHS, this is the first time in six years of competing that they have finished in the top four.
It was tied at 3–3 when HCI’s defensive mistakes allowed DHS to score five points straight (8–3). Benjamin Lee (HCI #10) stopped his opponents’ scoring run with two consecutive spikes. Then on, DHS continued to hold an advantage on the scoreboard, and were leading 19–16 when HCI started to catch up.
Low Ern Hueh (#8) set the ball well in an offensive play, where Wayne Yeung (#7) executed a feint and Tin Wei Heng (#6) followed up with a strong spike to make it 17–19. Poon Pei Jie (HCI #1) spiked two more to draw even with DHS (19–19). They brought the tie to 21–21, but DHS took the first set 25–21 with strong defensive efforts.
In the second set, it was tied at 3–3 when HCI scored three points straight to pull away to 6–3. In this set, Pei Jie (#1) and Wei Heng (#6) were pivotal in HCI’s attacks. They led the team with strong spikes that often landed on the uncovered areas on DHS’s court.
Wang Hongsen (#9) and Benjamin (#10) also made good spike blocks to help keep HCI’s lead in check. Even though Daniel Png (DHS #9) paced his team with well-timed spikes, it was not enough to level the score as they trailed too far behind. HCI went on to take the second set 25–18.
The third set was especially fast-paced. They matched each other point for point until it was tied at 16–16. In this set, DHS’s Daniel (#9) and Koh Zhe Wei (#2) played with an alert defence and chalked up crucial points offensively. On the other hand, HCI’s Pei Jie (#1) parlayed a strong offensive game, pacing his team with spikes one after another.
HCI broke through to take on the first two-point lead (20–18) in this set, but DHS did not falter. DHS’s duo of Daniel (#9) and Sean Lew (#13) executed diligent defence at the net, and they continued to chase the points until it was 24–23. HCI were then looking for a point to close the set, and Pei Jie (#1) determinedly spiked a strong one to take it 25–23.
Early into the fourth set, DHS found fault with their rotations during plays as they failed to communicate well on court. HCI capitalized on their mistakes to build up a comfortable 11–4 lead. Wei Heng (HCI #6) played a huge part in that, as he spiked consecutive balls to maintain HCI’s offensive dominance. From 11–4, DHS’s plays begin to gel and they caught up gradually. Zhe Wei (DHS #2) stepped up his game to make good spikes and coordinate well with Lincoln Ng (DHS #1) to put up a strong wall of defence at the net.
With good team effort, DHS managed to trim their opponents’ lead to three points (17–20). The teams then scored four points each to bring the game to 21–24. HCI managed to preserve their lead and on their last offensive attempt, Pei Jie (#1) spiked a strong ball which was met by the DHS defenders. However, they blocked it out of bounds and with that, HCI took their third win of 25–21 to finish third place in the championship.
HCI captain, Pei Jie (#1), said, “I’m very happy about the win, and that my team recovered fast from the loss in the semis. I want to thank Dunman also, for putting up another fight. I hope that next year our team will get stronger and if possible, get into the championship.”
On what made this win possible, Pei Jie added, “I think it’s the dedication of my team, as all of them played hard. And I want to really thank our coach and teacher-in-charge for spending so much time with us. For the past few months, our trainings were four times a week and it was like from morning to night. So I want to thank my coaches and teachers for staying with us to train. Next year we will come back stronger.”
DHS vice-captain, Sean (#13), said, “I think we came into the game in a very light-hearted manner. Our goal today was to enjoy the game, enjoy volleyball, and I think we did it in the first set. In the following sets, when things starts to get more serious, we started making mistakes. But I think we played hard today.”
DHS captain, Daniel (#9), added, “We knew Hwa Chong were strong, but we still fought hard and still wanted to defeat them. But they are really good opponents and are better in tactics. It feels good to get into the top four after six years.”
Scoring by Set
HCI vs DHS
1st set: 21–25
2nd set: 25–18
3rd set: 25–23
4th set: 25–21
Hwa Chong Institution Roster
Poon Pei Jie (#1), Chen Liangrui (#2), Lee Chong Hon (#4), Tin Wei Heng (#6), Wayne Yeung Keng WY (#7), Low Ern Hueh (#8), Wang Hongsen (#9), Lee Wei Ren Benjamin (#10), Richmond Lim Jun Loong (#11), Chan Hong Kit (#12), Chang Chun-Chuan (#13), Ang Zhi Wei (#14), Tan Mingzhuang Jovian (#17), Tay Yee En Ryan (#18)
Dunman High School Roster
Ng Jing Kai Lincoln (#1), Koh Zhe Wei (#2), Mok Kin Yong Benjamin (#3), Teng Zheng Zhe Timothy (#5), Lim Wei Chong Jeffrey (#8), Daniel Png Tze Woon (#9), Kong Shao Ming (#10), Ryan Lee Zong Han (#11), Neo Wei Lu (#12), Sean Lew Teng Siong (#13)
More photos next page
Well done! 🙂