Calista (Shuqun #9) goes up to block an attempt by Li Ting (Hua Yi #12). (Photo 1 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
PESEB, Tuesday, July 3, 2012 — Shuqun Secondary put themselves in good stead to qualify for the second round of the West Zone C Division Girls’ Volleyball Championship after they beat Hua Yi Secondary 2-1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-19) in their Round One, Group C match.
Shuqun, who had missed out on a top-four zonal position last year, found themselves handed with a tough draw right at the start when they were grouped together with the likes of Hua Yi and Jurong Secondary. Prior to the match, all three teams were level with six points each.
Despite going down in the first set and trailing in the second, Shuqun clawed their way back to force a rubber set which they eventually won.
Hua Yi gave themselves an early advantage as they raced ahead to lead 11-4. Shuqun were unable to settle in as gaps in their defense allowed Hua Yi to stay ahead.
Shuqun managed to narrow the score gap to three points at the 17-14 mark but were unable to turn things around as they conceded the set 25-19.
Shuqun kept the score close in the second set as they were neck and neck till the 11-point mark. Hua Yi then pulled ahead to lead 16-11. It seemed like it would be a lost cause for Shuqun but a sudden drop in form in the Hua Yi side saw Shuqun’s fortunes take a turn for the better.
Hua Yi found themselves stuck at the 17-point mark as Shuqun scored point after point through powerful serves. Hua Yi’s shaky defense saw several balls deflected out of bounds on their players’ first touch. Their nerves seemed to have got them as they also made several judgement errors, allowing several shots to go unreturned.
Shuqun took advantage and kept up their momentum. They drew level with Hua Yi and turned the tables around, capping off their 14-point comeback with a service ace.
Shuqun continued to pressure Hua Yi with their serves in the third set. Their morale was on a high while Hua Yi seemed to be a shadow of themselves from the first set.
Shuqun headed into the changeover leading 13-9 and pulled ahead to eventually lead 22-14. Hua Yi tried to make a comeback and managed to score several points in quick succession. However, Shuqun held on and sealed the set 25-19.
Shuqun now top the table with eight points while Hua Yi are second with seven.
Shuqun will face Jurong Secondary in both team’s final match of Round One in a do-or-die match. Shuqun need just one point to qualify for the second round while Jurong will need to win 2-0. However, Shuqun will need to win by a margin of 2-0 in order to top the group and avoid a potential draw with Group A leaders Nanyang Girls’ High and Group B leaders Bukit Panjang Government High in the next round.
Hua Yi will play Boon Lay Secondary, who have yet to win a match, in their final fixture of Round One. A 2-0 victory will assure them a spot in the second round regardless of the outcome of the Shuqun-Jurong match.
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[…] wrong when they edged to a 2-0 victory over Jurong Secondary, but unfortunately let slip their lead to lose 2-1 to Shuqun Secondary. Their victory over Boon Lay gave them all three points and catapulted them to the top of Group C […]