B Div Vball (Girls): Jurong hold off Fairfield for second win in Group A

Ministry of Education Sports & Recreation Club, Thursday, March 1, 2012 — Defending champions Jurong Secondary successfully held off Fairfield Methodist in their Round One, Group A match at the National B Division Girls’ Volleyball Championship. Jurong beat Fairfield 2-1 (25-14, 21-25, 26-24) to diminish their opponent’s chances of qualifying for the next round.

Jurong scored a total of 48 points via 40 kills, one block and seven service aces. Fairfield on the other hand managed 29 points with 20 kills, four blocks and six service aces.

Jurong centre Ong Qiuluan (#13) dominated the scoreboard with 16 kills and two service aces. However, she wasn’t on her best form, committing 10 hit errors in the match. Rather, it was teammate Vanessa Lim (Jurong #5) who shone, stepping in to score 14 kills to put her in second spot on the scoring tally.

Jurong started the first set fully in control as they dominated play. They scored 11 kills in the first set, forcing three block errors and nine defensive errors from Fairfield along the way. Fairfield called a timeout at the 13-8 mark but it could not stop Jurong from racing off to finish the set 25-14.

Things were very much different for Jurong in the second set as the team got off to a shaky start. Errors plagued Jurong’s play and this gave Fairfield a much needed advantage to keep the score close. Qiuluan (Jurong #13) could not seem to break the Fairfield defense as she managed only three kills in the set. On the other hand, open spiker Vanessa (Jurong #5) scored six kills, with Aijia (#4) adding another four kills to boost Jurong’s scoring tally.

Despite Fairfield making five kills in the set, they only had one hit error as opposed to Jurong’s nine, and this saw the team managed to break free from a stalemate to lead 19-17.

Jurong tried hard to catch up but were no match as Fairfield pulled ahead to lead 24-21. Fairfield then won the second set after Jurong sent their spike out of bounds.

Jurong appeared slightly shaken in the third set. Consecutive spiking errors by Qiuluan (Jurong #13) allowed Fairfield to lead 4-1. However, Jurong quickly pulled themselves together and gave Fairfield a fight to level the scores.

The score was neck and neck, with Jurong eventually leading 13-10 at the changeover. Qiuluan (Jurong #13) shook off her bad start and made a comeback with eight kills in the set. Soon, Jurong were in a commanding position as they led 17-11 to prompt a timeout from Fairfield.

With qualification for the next round at stake, Fairfield made a last ditch attempt and staged a remarkable comeback to trail Jurong by just one point at 21-20.

It was an intense moment as Jurong fought to keep the lead. Eventually, they managed to lead 24-21 after a spike from Aijia (Jurong #4).

It was a nerve-wracking moment as Jurong failed to convert the last point to see Fairfield close in to send the match into a deuce.

However, a stroke of bad luck struck Fairfield as their player sent the free ball into the net in the next rally. Jurong seized upon this chance, with Vanessa (Jurong #5) sending a drop ball into an empty spot in Fairfield to seal the match.

In another Group A match, Dunman Secondary had to work extra hard to fend off Sembawang Secondary. After a hard fought match, they eventually prevailed 2-0 (25-18, 25-21).

Jurong next face Sembawang Secondary on Monday, March 5, where a win will see them finish on top of Group A. Fairfield play Dunman Secondary on Wednesday, March 7, and will need a convincing victory against the East Zone Champions to stand a chance at qualifying.

Final Score
Jurong 2 Fairfield 1
25-14, 21-25, 26-24

National B Division Girls’ Volleyball Championship — fixtures and results

For more photos, go to the next page.