By Zachary Foo/Red Sports

Bradley Lee (PHS #9) smashes his spike against a couple of Dunman High blockers. (Photo 1 © Zachary Foo/Red Sports

Presbyterian High School, Tuesday, July 29, 2014 — Presbyterian High started their campaign on a good note by beating Dunman High 2–0 (26–24, 25–18) in the first round of the National C Division Boys Volleyball Championship.

The win puts Presbyterian High at the top of Group C with a 1–0 win–loss record, while Dunman fall to 0–1.

Presbyterian High raced out to an early 5–1 lead, led by the strong spikes of Wngta Ang (PHS #2). Dunman High struggled early on, as they failed miserably in their return game.

The momentum of the game shifted midway through the quarter as Dunman High scored five straight points. DHS #8 was instrumental in leading his team’s comeback, eventually tying the game at 13-all.

From that point on, it was a close game between both teams as they looked to take the first set. Presbyterian High found themselves with two set points when they were up 24–22. However, a fluffed serve by M Seann Ganesh (PHS #7) and a successful spike by Dunman High tied things up at 24–all again.

Steady play allowed Presbyterian High to go ahead 25–24 and Royston Cheng (PHS #1) then sealed the first set for his team with a nice block against a Dunman High spike.

Wngta Ang (PHS #2) again got the engines running for Presbyterian High in the second set. However, DHS #7 and DHS #8 were up to the task. They both matched Wngta’s contribution to give Dunman High the early lead.

Ong Ching Ta (PHS #13) showed good anticipation to launch a block against Dunman High, tying the game at 5–all. Law Ken (PHS #14) then hit two straight aces to give Presbyterian High their first lead of the second set, which they did well to protect until the end.

Presbyterian High’s offence was humming at this point, as their returns always left Dunman High on the defensive. This prevented Dunman High from setting up their spikes, as they did not have the ball in ideal positions to spike. Presbyterian eventually took the final set 25–18, claiming their first victory of Nationals.

Presbyterian High will next face Ang Mo Kio Secondary on Thursday, July 31st at 1.40pm at Presbyterian High Court 1. Dunman High School will face Clementi Town Secondary on the same day at 12pm at Presbyterian High Court 2.

Presbyterian High captain, Bradley Lee (#9), said, “It feels really good to win as it gives us more confidence for the other games. I felt our performance wasn’t good enough in this game. We made a lot of mistakes, especially in the first set. We can do better to improve on them.”

Scoring by Set
Presbyterian High vs Dunman High
First set: 26–24 (1–0)
Second set: 25–18 (2–0)

Presbyterian High Roster
Royston Cheng (#1), Wngta Ang (#2), Ryan Ham (#4), Joshua Tan (#5), M Seann Ganesh (#7), Bradley Lee (#9), Zachary Cheong (#10), Ong Ching Ta (#13), Law Ken (#14), Tristan Loo (#15), Keith Tan (#16), Dominic Berzin Chua (#17), Ben Tam Zhi Wen (#18), Samuel Htoo (#19)

Dunman High Roster
We were unable to obtain the roster from Dunman High. If you recognise any of the players, please list them in the comments below. Thank you!

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