Story and photos by Lim Yi Fei/Red Sports.

Presbyterian High players pose for a team photo. Photo 1 © Lim Yi Fei/Red Sports)

Presbyterian High players pose for a team photo. Photo 1 © Lim Yi Fei/Red Sports)

Presbyterian High School, Monday, April 2, 2018 — Presbyterian High School’s (PHS) persistent mindset in both sets helped to secure their spot in the final at Cedar Girls’ (CG) Secondary’s expense in the National B Division Volleyball Championship.

After the win, Presbyterian’s Adeline (#12) said: “My team did well in communication and especially their fighting spirit. We did not give up till the very last moment and we did very well. I am very proud of them.”

From the first whistle, Cedar was already set back with a slow start, engaging with two out-of-bound balls. However, they were not backing down as they fought back defensively with three of their tallest players, Samantha Yeo (CG #5), Fion Koh (CG #6) and Zoey Lum (CG #7) who guarded the net fiercely with their long arms.

Though small in stature, Presbyterian were skilled in utilising speed to their advantage and cleared open kills with dinks and spikes to widen the gap. Presbyterian noticed weaknesses in Cedar’s defence and capitalised using baseline shots to rack up the points.

Furthermore, with Cedar confused about who should rally the ball back on their court, things were not going smoothly for them as they ended the first set at 13-25.

Coming into the second set with a clear thirst for winning, Presbyterian roused up their offences and begun their onslaught for points. It was point-for-point as the Presbyterians went for hard spikes to deny their opponents of any chance.

Cedar, however, wasted opportunities by failing to hit up to standard and ended the rally to their disadvantage. They were seen constantly sighing as they missed chances to turn the match around. But faced with a huge point deficit, Cedar never stopped their hustling for a chance to turn the tide. They were unwavering in their beliefs and set up their 4-2 set play to deter their opponents.

Presbyterian, however, maintained their merciless attacks on their rivals. Cedar was unable to keep up and Presbyterian eventually won the second set 25-16 to wrap up the 2-0 victory.

“We can definitely improve on our teamwork and our attitude on court,” said Adeline (PHS #12).

Cedar’s Captain, Zoey Lum (#7) commented: “We didn’t do very well today. We can definitely improve on the stability of our game and our ball returns. We can also improve on our own performance as a player too.”

With this win, Presbyterian advance to the final and will play Dunman Secondary next to vie for the championship title while Cedar Girls’ will play Nanyang Girls’ next to compete for third and fourth placing.

Scoring by Set
Presbyterian vs Cedar Girls’
1st Set: 25-13
2nd Set: 25-16

Presbyterian Roster
Leong Kai Xin (#1), Jolin Yeo Kai Lin (#2), Beverley Tong Yu Ling (#3), Ng Kai Lin (#4), Natalie Koh Wen Xuan (#6), Ong Hui Ling (#9), Jacinta Tan Yan Ying (#10), Tammy Seng Qin Lin (#11), Adeline Sim Shu Qi (#12), Sherilyn Tan Xin Lin (#14), Jazlyn Tan Yan Yi (#15), Regine Tan Wei Ting (#16), Perth Ting Wan Xuan (#17), Chaela Marie Hojilla Dolendo (#18)

Cedar Girls’ Roster
Trinh Ngoc Minh (#2), Laura Tang Lin Shi (#3), Vanessa Chew Suen Hui (#4), Samantha Yeo Yin Yin (#5), Fion Koh Hwee Rong (#6), Zoey Lum Chee Yin (#7), Shirley Hu Zhi Xuan (#8), Ong Zhe Min (#10), Ho Shi Hui (#11), Andrea Ooi Jia Min (#12), Lim Su Wei (#13), Chong Sze Wei (#15), Gilda Ong Su Nin (#16), Jamie Leow Hui Lin (#18)