VOLLEYBALL

National ‘A” Division
Anderson Junior College vs Meridian Junior College
Wednesday, 9 May 2007 at CCAB

This report was contributed by Red Sports reader, Mr Joseph Chin. Thanks, Joseph!

Anderson Junior College (AJC) qualified for the semi-finals of the National ‘A’ Division volleyball championship when they defeated Meridian Junior College (MJC) 25-16, 25-23 yesterday at CCAB.

Defending champions AJC were made to work hard as they were pushed all the way by MJC before triumphing 2-0. With both having been defeated by NYJC in the group, it was AJ who started with a smashing ball into the MJ area. Despite having MJ hot on their heels, AJ eventually prevailed 25-16 in the first set. Things were equally tense in the second set, and AJ narrowly won 25-23.

AJC qualify together with Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) whose 2-0 win over Victoria Junior College sparked a 3-way decider that allowed them to squeeze through on the better set difference.  The remaining two semi-final spots go to giants Nanyang Junior College (NJC) and Temasek Junior College (TJC).

The stage is now set for some of the most intriguing match-ups for the semi-finals.

Now here’s a lowdown on the semi finals fixtures that will be played this friday at CCAB.

TJC vs AJC: The rematch of last year’s final promises a lot of end-to-end action. For both teams, when they are on form, they can cruise past opponents with ease. Expect lots of free flowing action and a tight,dramatic game.

NYJC vs HCI: Last time they met in the first round, HCI defeated NYJC 2-1. This time, the organized NYJC team will be a tougher nut to crack. Whether they have the endurance to last for at least 3 sets though, is another story. As for HCI, they seem to lack consistency in the second round, when they could beat VJ 2-0 but then lose to TJ by the same margin. I predict this match will go to 5 sets.