By Zachary Foo/Red Sports

Clive Ling (CHS #13) sending his spike past the PHS blockers. Clive was a key contributor to his team’s win, with his spikes being near unstoppable. (Photo 1 © Zachary Foo/Red Sports)

Presbyterian High School, Wednesday, August 20, 2014 — Catholic High School (CHS) came back to beat Presbyterian High School (PHS) 3–2 (26–24, 24–26, 15–25, 25–17, 15–12) in the semi-final of the National C Division Volleyball Championship. Catholic High found themselves down 1–2 at one point in the match, but were able to win the next two sets to clinch a place in the final.

Presbyterian High took the initiative in the first set, as they worked the ball to Wngta Ang (PHS #2) and Law Ken (PHS #14) for spikes. Catholic High fell behind due to a few minor mistakes that gifted free points to Presbyterian High. Lee Zi Bin (CHS #9) endured a torrid spell when Presbyterian High singled him out a few times on their serve, allowing them to get easy points.

After taking a 21–13 lead, Presbyterian High’s offence sputtered. This allowed Catholic High back into the set, as they fought back all the way to trail 21–23.

Bradley Lee (PHS #9) hit a strong spike that put Presbyterian High in line for set point, but Catholic High saved it by winning a tense 10-shot rally. That proved to be the turning point, as Catholic High would win the next three points to steal the set.

The second set was another close affair, as both teams were separated by no more than one point throughout the set. Presbyterian High had the edge in terms of their blocking, as M Seann Ganesh (PHS #7) and Samuel Htoo (#19) both worked together at the net to earn points for their team.

Catholic High, on the other hand, continued to work the ball to Clive Ling (CHS #13). His thunderous spikes made it hard for Presbyterian High to dig and earn points.

The highlight of the set came when Catholic High won an epic 12-shot rally, filled with diving players and blocks from both teams. The set also went to a tie-breaker, but Presbyterian High prevailed to even the game at 1–1.

Catholic High took the early lead in the third set, but Presbyterian High were able to even things up at 4–4. It all went wrong for Catholic High from that point, as they piled on mistake after mistake. Presbyterian High were able to capitalise on that and build a 20–11 lead.

Despite the huge deficit, Catholic High did well to fight throughout the set. Their efforts would prove futile and they conceded the set to Presbyterian High 15–25.

Facing the threat of elimination, Catholic High had to step up in the fourth set to save their season. Their initial play exposed minute gaps in the Presbyterian High defence.

Nigel Wee (CHS #5), Sean Tay (CHS #6) and Clive Ling (CHS #13) all did well to unnerve Presbyterian High, which forced them into making certain mistakes. These errors stifled whatever momentum Presbyterian High built after each point they won. This allowed Catholic High to easily take the fourth set 25–17.

Coming into the final set, Catholic High seemed to have all the momentum after winning the fourth set. They parlayed that into strong team play, methodically setting up Clive Ling (CHS #13) for his spikes.

Not to be outdone, Presbyterian High came back to tie the game at 6–6. However, they suddenly lost their concentration at that point. This allowed Catholic High to go on a 7–1 run, giving them a comfortable six-point lead. Presbyterian High responded with a 3–0 run of their own, but Catholic High held their nerve to take the final two points and their berth in the final.

Catholic High captain, Clive Ling (#13), said, “I injured myself during the course of the match and my team supported me quite a lot. They proved that they could play even when I was injured. We look forward to facing our opponents in the final, which would most likely be St. Hilda’s Secondary. I would like to thank my coach and all the teachers for the win.”

Scoring by Set
Catholic High School vs Presbyterian High School
First set: 26–24 (1–0)
Second set: 24–26 (1–1)
Third set: 15–25 (1–2)
Fourth set: 25–17 (2–2)
Final set: 15–12 (3–2)

Catholic High Roster
Wang Liang Bing (#1), Joel Oh Kai Shun Hiroyuki (#2), Deng Jiayao (#3), Leong Yew Kit (#4), Wee Song Ming Nigel (#5), Sean Tay Swee Sheng (#6), Dai Xinlong (#7), Lee Ying Long Xavier (#8), Lee Zi Bin (#9), Hoi Cheng Yen Daryl (#10), Clement Wong Jing Liang (#11), Ho Juay Xuan (#12), Ling Chieh Shyan Clive (#13), Manfred Fong Yong Jie (#14)

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)

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