Fairfield's volleyball B boys reach historic first final
Volleyball boys will need to repeat resilience against favourites St Hilda's in final
Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) showed great perseverance and mental strength to prevail 2-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-20) over Presbyterian High in the Schools National B Division Boys' volleyball semi-finals at Ang Mo Kio yesterday.
Fairfield also had the powerful yet precise spikes of their captain Luc Belanger, 16, to thank for the victory.
It didn't start promisingly for them, though, as Presbyterian took the lead and were up 23-16 in the first set.
But Fairfield refused to give up and chalked up nine successive points to take the set 25-23.
The teams were neck and neck in the second set and the pressure eventually got to Fairfield as they committed too many individual mistakes - they lost the set 25-22.
MOMENTUM
Riding on that momentum, Presbyterian started off strongly in the deciding third set.
But Fairfield again demonstrated their resilience to catch up to 18-18.
Then, as in the first set, they pulled away to score the next six points.
Presbyterian pulled back two points to 24-20, but Fairfield then sealed the set and game with a powerful shot from No. 9 John Khant Nyar Kyaw.
That secured their very first B Division Boys' final, where they will facing volleyball powerhouses St Hilda's Secondary, who beat Dunman Secondary 25-9, 25-22 in the other semi-final yesterday.
"We'll try our best and listen to whatever our coach tells us to do and we'll just go out there and have fun," said Luc, one of the nine players who will be leaving school this year, on the final against St Hilda's.
"It's going to be the very last game that we ever play together as a team and we want to leave with no regrets."
Fairfield's head coach Wee Ang feels that his team will definitely be the underdogs in Wednesday's final at Toa Payoh Stadium.
"For now, St Hilda's have got the higher chance of winning as we lost to them on Monday," said Tan.
But captain Luc vows that his team will again put on a good show like yesterday's.
"We played against them once and lost but, over the next few days, we'll be working on some strategies to beat them," he said.
"We'll give it our all."
Presbyterian, meanwhile, will be facing Dunman Secondary in the match for third place on Tuesday at Ang Mo Kio.
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