Written by: Zhang Kaixiang
Edited by: Jocelyn
On the 27th of February, the KE Volleyball girls played against Temasek Hall (TH) in their second preliminary match. Having played well in their previous match against Kent Ridge Hall (KR), the KE girls wanted to keep up or even improve on their performance this match. This, however, prove to be tough, as the TH team has traditionally been strong in volleyball, and has won the championship title in Volleyball for many IHGs, including last year’s.
Posted in volleyball
Written by: Zhang Kaixiang
Edited by: Jocelyn Yeo
On the 24th of January, Kent Ridge Hall (KR) and King Edward VII Hall (KE) met at the SRC volleyball courts to battle it out in their first match of the IHG season. Team captain Annie was doing her best to rally the team together, understanding that a high morale is critical for the team to be able to fight well. She started off with a pre-match talk, after which the team huddled up and cheered, their voices echoing resolutely through the court. The first match saw Annie, Fang Chee, Jobina, Hui Ning, Geraldine and Christina on the courts, ready to play their very best for KE.
Posted in volleyball
Written by: Lawrence Wu
Edited by: Jocelyn
Spirits were high as KE’s male volleyball team warmed up in preparation for their showdown with RH, held on the 24th of January at the SRC volleyball courts. Our male volleyballers were looking to put the disappointment of losing the opening game behind them. No one in the KE team seemed short of focus or purpose during the warm up, as each member queued up to send some ferocious spikes into the opponent’s court. In contrast, the RH team sought to intimidate our players before the game even started, roaring loudly whenever one of their players made a well-placed spike.
Posted in volleyball
Written by: Lawrence Wu
Edited by: Jocelyn Yeo
On the 22nd of January, KE’s male volleyball team squared off against EH in the first match of their current IHG season, played at EH’s multipurpose courts. Despite being up against relatively stronger opponents (and right in their backyard, no less), our male players were in high spirits in the pre-match warm up, hitting some well-placed spikes and sharing some lighthearted jokes with one another. As dusk approached and the game was about to start, team captain, Jerwin gathered the entire team aside for a final pre-match talk. The team then rounded it off with a resounding “KE…Whoosh!”, before Jerwin then led the first team, which also included Kelvin, Kaixiong, Gabriel, Songjie and Jordan, onto the court.
All set for the game!
Posted in volleyball
2nd Preliminary Round: KE vs RH, 0-2
1st set: 30-32, 2nd set: 15-25
Writer: Joel Koh
Editor: Janice Fan
Photos by Jiawei and Yinglong
“We’ll try our best. This is for Yifei, our star libero who is currently recuperating in hospital.” These were the forewords from the volleyball captain, Jerwin.
At 8pm the players started warming up, with RH attempting to show their strength by hitting really powerful spikes. Perhaps they were trying to intimidate our warriors, but that certainly didn’t work. 5 minutes into the game, a well placed spike by Jerwin showed RH that brute force wasn’t everything – he brought KE to a 4-0 lead.
The guys in action
RH fought back and it was soon 5-5. Determined not to lose the lead, KE rallied and forged ahead again with a 13-6 lead, with Jordan emulating the captain with a few well placed spikes. Sadly, the huge lead was soon withered down to a one point lead as RH once again fought back to make the score 13-12. A string of good plays by KE lead to another big lead as KE lead 21-16. Despite the raw power of the RH players, it was clear to all that strength isn’t everything; time and time again, shots from RH hit the net. Team captain Jerwin showed them how it was done by gently and accurately placing the ball out of the RH players reach each time they tried to block.
Our strong KE supporters
Sadly, KE was too weak at the back, and RH capitalized by placing all their shots there. Soon the game was drawn at 24-24. This continued as both teams fought hard for each point, with the game dragging on to 30-30. A string of lucky shots by the RH players finally gave them the 2 points they needed to win the game 32-30. And so the first set was an extremely tense one. It was one that we could have possibly won, so RH’s victory really wasn’t anything to boast about.
Reaching for the ball
The second set started with Jerwin delivering the first 2 points to make it 2-0. However, this time there was to be no huge lead as RH rallied well everytime KE took the lead. At 4-4, KE player no.4 delivered a fine block to prevent RH from taking the lead. However, it went downhill from there as KE started tire; it was obvious that the team was badly missing the inspiring presence of their star libero, Yifei. RH took advantage and rushed to a 20-14 lead. Jerwin, being the fighter that he was, tried to inspire the team by smashing a few good spikes past the opponents. But it was in vain as RH decided to focus on Jerwin and sent their best players to neutralize his shots. The game ended 25-15 in RH’s favor.
Let's do it!
Despite losing to RH, the KE volleyball team should be applauded for their never say die spirit and for fighting till the very end. It was an exciting match indeed! Our KE volleyball team definitely proved themselves as worthy opponents 
P.S. The Prelims between RH and EH tomorrow will determine if our guys will make it into the Semis. Stay tuned for the update!
KE Volleyball team
Posted in volleyball
KE vs SH, 0-2
1st set: 7-25
2nd set: 9-25
Writer: Benjamin Lim
Photos by Wang Ying & Yinglong
Spirits were high at the SRC volleyball courts as the ladies volleyball team prepared to face off against SH, a team who were traditionally strong in volleyball. Knowing the impact that playing against such skilled opponents would have on team morale, Wan Lee, team captain, took her players aside and gave them wise words of counsel. Having concluded her pep talk, the team huddled in a circle and cheered together in a show of unity: “KE….Whoosh!”
Ready for the game
Representing KE in this challenging match was our first team consisting of May Pho, Christina, Geraldine, Rachel, Hirumi and of course team captain Wan Lee. And to their credit, they displayed moments of brilliance in play that caught the SH team unawares and helped them secure some important points in the longer rallies of the game. Indeed, there were instances where SH thought that they had secured another point, only to see the ball return over the net after a concerted effort from KE to redirect the ball. SH was obviously over-confident of their chances and even in the first set, many players had let down their guard once they saw a KE player fumble ever so slightly at receiving their serve. This came back to haunt them as they found themselves woefully unprepared to tackle the return, digging it directly into the net or out of the court entirely.
Let's listen to the captain..
In contrast, the KE team gave the utmost respect to the capabilities of their opponent, never letting down their guard or underestimating their ability. No matter what the score was, KE players like Christina showed great determination and spirit in chasing down every ball that their teammates had trouble keeping in play. This made the SH players look positively sedentary, if not lazy, in chasing down the returns that we made. Again, this would be something that they would kick themselves for as they deservedly surrendered many silly points to us when our returns landed in some extremities of the court. Unfortunately, this was not a great enough setback to deny the skill of the IVP-filled SH team as they went on to take the first set 7-25.
Girls getting serious in their play
During the break between sets, the SH supporters began their loud and disruptive barrel-banging to cheer their team on. KE of course, chose not to use such unrefined noise-making instruments, and opted for some vocal power instead. Both Wan Lee and Rachel could be heard over the din from the rowdy SH supporters, motivating the team with a cheer. Aside from the much needed morale booster provided by the cheer, tactics and strategy were also discussed and implemented. It was clear that despite the already commendable result in the first set, team captain Wan Lee wanted KE to achieve even more. After another team huddle and some more pep talk, the whistle announced the beginning of the second set.
There was a marked difference in play as the KE players now resolved some previous communication problems that hampered their play in the first half, allowing them to improve their game significantly. However, several factors conspired to deny us the points that we very much deserved. Just as in other matches, lady luck chose to rear her ugly head against us as a poorly played clearance from SH tipped itself just over the net, finding us unable to return. The weather, which had held up well for the entire duration of the match, also decided to give its allegiance to SH, blowing away many of our better played digs out-of-bounds.
But most frustratingly of all, SH subbed out many of their better players once it appeared that victory was in the bag and fielded many second stringers. This was an obvious condemnation of our chances at winning even before the game was over, and KE resolved not to take this slight on our abilities lying down. Tellingly, their second string players could not even serve properly and hit the net multiple times when they held service. At the very least, even though our team lacked IVPs, we could consistently serve over the net.
What’s more, it was clear that their second team lacked exposure in playing as a team. A particularly simple dig that fell in between 2 of their players in the right-half of court did not even elicit a response from any player, with each one assuming that the other would handle that ball. With such standard from SH, it was a travesty that we did not wrest control of the second set back from them to win it. Towards the final moments of the match, it was not so much the skill or teamwork SH that helped them win 9-25, but more of the small mistakes made by our team. When it was all said and done, each of the KE supporters present must have been left with a bitter aftertaste in their mouth because of the condescension shown by our opponents. Nevertheless, the wholeheartedness with which the KE volleyball team played is worthy of praise!
Smile for the camera!
Posted in volleyball
Volleyball (F), KE vs RH, 0-2
1st Set: KE 9 – 25 RH
2nd Set: KE 6 – 25 RH
Writer: Yap Juin Shiong
Starting their quest for glory on a sweltering night devoid of wind, the opening fight for the KE women’s volleyball team was played out on the 22nd of January 2010. Though they were under an immense amount of pressure, and playing against Raffles Hall on foreign ground (in a faraway land called Eusoff Hall), their morale was surely boosted by the overwhelming victory of the KE Men’s Volleyball Team against the Eusoffians themselves just minutes before the start of their own match. Staying on to provide moral support and valuable advice throughout the ladies’ game, the members of the Men’s team proved themselves superior in not only the physical, but the mental aspect of the game as well. Led by their captain Jerwin, the Men’s team cheered loudly and fiercely enough to rattle the Raffles players when they served. Though the KE team fought hard, they were ultimately defeated by the Raffles players’ ability to serve consistent overhand serves, which the KE team found hard to respond to.
The two teams were punctual to a fault, and at precisely 8 pm, the teams were given some time to warm up before starting their matches. Rising to meet the challenge presented by Raffles were Rachel, Geraldine, Christina, Jobina, and Hazel playing under the KE banner, and led by their captain, Wan Lee, who had also previously participated in last year’s IHG for Volleyball. Being the first game of the season, some players on the KE team were understandably nervous, but following some quick pep talks on team strategy by the more experienced Wan Lee, and a few KE cheers later, the KE team looked set to score!
As the opening whistle blew, the KE players adopted the decidedly aggressive 6-2 formation in an attempt to capitalise on the defensive 4-2 formation adopted by the Raffles Team. Raffles, however, was not one to back down on a challenge, and presented a player who fired a fierce overhand service and drew first blood, as the KE team was caught unawares. As the game played out, it soon became apparent that the KE women’s team were hard pressed to receive the overhand serves each time the Raffles players stepped up, but were well equipped to deal with the less aggressive shots. This defensive play was to the advantage of the KE players as there were hardly any spikes from both sides; instead, each side tried to outmanoeuvre the other by positioning the ball to the corners and ends of the lines.
Our girls, coiled and ready for action
Almost as soon as it had started, the first set had ended 9-25 courtesy of the agility and litheness of the Raffles players, who proved exceedingly experienced in receiving the shots which the KE team fired back. As the Raffles players swapped courts and practised their shots, the KE players retreated under the aegis of their team’s corner, where the men’s team huddled round to point out where their mistakes were, and their opponent’s weaknesses. When the whistle blew for the second set, the KE players were out with renewed vigour and enthusiasm, and ready to take the fight to Raffles!
The second set saw Mafer substituting Jobina, for the key role of front attacker. The tension in the air thickened palpably as many looked to see if the game would be played out differently. Would this be enough to swing the balance in favour of KE for this set?
Let's go, KE!
Raffles led the charge again, leading KE by 8-2 before the KE team called for a short break and reorganised their defences, being momentarily surprised by the renewed aggression of the Raffles team. After serving in the conservative underhand fashion to Raffles, the KE women’s team then began to serve the more aggressive overhand serve in an attempt to bring the fight to Raffles. This strategic manoeuvre shook the Raffles team as they saw their own weapon being used against them. However, the Raffles team pulled themselves together and transformed from masters of attack to masters of defence. Eventually, this tactic backfired on the KE team when they tired out, and the overhand serves were not strong enough to cross the net. Switching back to underhand serves, the KE team was left too exhausted to defend against the Raffles attack, who had switched back into a more aggressive mode and were now even occasionally attempting to spike the ball.
Eyes on the ball!
The final score, 25-6 to Raffles, though not reflective of the amount of effort put in by the KE team, was in itself a testament to how KE had pushed themselves to the point of exhaustion and given their all in the first match of their tournament. Though the crowds that came down to support them were mostly from those that had turned up to watch the Men’s game and had decided to stay on, they cheered no less loudly, and the women reciprocated by giving a performance that was agreed by all to be definitely worth watching. The games ended as the victorious Raffles Hall sportingly cheered for KE, which prompted KE to respond with a cheer for them. On this chivalrous note, the two teams, which had acquitted themselves in the field of honour in a fair and valorous manner and in the space of just under an hour, quit the field in a gay spirit.
You have every right to look pleased indeed.
Posted in volleyball
Writer: Garrick Liw Zuwei
Editor: Pearly Neo
Volleyball Male, KE vs EH, Score: KE 2 – 1 EH
1st Set: KE 12 – 25 EH
2nd Set: KE 25 – 14 EH
3rd Set: KE 25 – 23 EH
Playing against EH with EH having a homeground advantage, it was unavoidable that our volleyballers felt the pressure. Nonethelss, they put up an extremely good fight, and persevered through it to obtain sweet success! Initially trailing with a score of 3 – 10 for the 3rd set, the KE volleyball males managed to catch up with a score of 18 – 18. And after several grueling, heart-stopping moments, KE finally triumphed with a final score of 25 – 23, bringing them to the semi-finals, and one step closer to the coveted final victory.
The volleyball males arrived at EH punctually for their warm up. By then, the volleyball Females had also arrived in preparation for their match immediately after the males. When asked about whether the result of Volleyball males would affect their morale in any way, Si Min and Jobina from the Female team had no hesitation in proclaiming their full confidence in the guys!
Despite being in familiar surroundings, EH had few supporters on their side when the match started. It was only after some time that residents of EH came strolling in, seeming to somewhat profess their confidence of a win over against KE. Well, we soon showed them!
Eyes on the ball!
The first set was played by Andy, Jordan, Song Kai, Jerwin, Shao Xun and Michael. Due to the extreme pressure, perhaps, this set sent the KE volleyball players into frustration and confusion as there was a lack of communication. No one receiving the serve, having 3 players fighting to return a shot, last minute strategies and a series of mistakes caused the lost of KE for the first set. It was evident that the Captain Jerwin was unhappy with the results.
Despite the loss, the KE volleyball females still cheered for them at the top of their lungs. Hazel led all the supporters as they cheered for the KE males. KE ace!
The invaluable supporters
For the 2nd set, KE males had made a sudden and clear transformation into Dragons! With an apparent communication system and a strategy in mind, they managed to secure an early lead and maintained it throughout the entire set. By now, a group of supporters from Eusoff had gathered with big posters. However, it was surprising to note that for them, silence was the norm of the day and NONE of them shouted anything. They were merely watching the match and not giving the Eusoff players any form of verbal support. On the contrary, KE’s cheers got louder and louder with every point scored. The 2nd set ended with KE winning with a score of 25 – 14.
The 3rd set was the deciding set. Perhaps due to the marvelous win in the previous set, it seemed that KE got somewhat complacent and made the same old mistakes they committed in the first set. On top of that, EH decided to step up their game and played aggressively, making Yi Fei and Shao Xun fall hard on the ground saving the ball. After some time, EH had a substantial lead of 10 against KE’s 3 points and were continuing to play a well-strategized game. However, after the first time out, it seems that KE was somewhat miraculously enlightened, for the second time in the night. They caught up by 5 points in a row! By this time, the KE supporters were going wild and on their feet, cheering like there was no tomorrow! There was a chance that KE could close up the gap!
Just look at that concentration
And against all odds, KE did just that! It wasn’t very long before they managed to level their score with EH at 18 – 18. The anticipation of winning seemed to emanate from their very beings! They maintained the level score till a 22 – 22. At this point it was obvious that the players had lapsed into a whole new level of concentration. Breaths held. Adrenaline rushing. All eyes glued to the ball. No one knew what would happen next. But, as became apparent in just a few minutes, today was the day that the KE volleyball males showed everyone what was what, with a beautiful win over EH, the final score at 25 – 23.
Our guys can hardly contain their joy upon their hard-won success.
It was quite disappointing to note though, that after our triumphant victory, EH became sore losers and almost immediately chased the KE supporters out of the Sepak Takraw Court where they were sitting just because some residents wanted to play recreational Sepak Takraw, when the IHG match had barely ended.
Nonetheless, it was a hard fought battle tonight and definitely a good start – and good omen – for KE towards getting a Gold Medal for Volleyball! You go, KE Volleyball Males! We’re beyond proud of you!
The winning team! We really are SO proud of you!
Posted in volleyball
|
Volleyball (F)
|
KE vs. TH
|
Fri, 06/02/09
|
| King Edward VII | Temasek Hall | |
| Set 1 | 13 | 25 |
| Set 2 | 10 | 25 |
Writer: Hui Min
On Friday 6th February, KEVII Volleyball girls played against Temasek Hall in their 2nd preliminary match. A heavy downpour occurred before the match, causing the match to be delayed by an hour.
Temasek Hall’s team had an IVP captain (who is also very tall) and their players were more experienced in general, hence putting KEVII’s team at a disadvantage from the start. Although a few of KEVII’s players were relatively new to the sport, they were not discouraged and were cheering each other on before the game started. With a KE Whoosh! from the girls, the game began.
In the beginning, our girls could not receive the first few serves from TH. This resulted in TH gaining points quickly. After a few balls though, KE slowly warmed up and started scoring points, putting up a fight against TH. However, TH managed to defeat KE in the 1st set, mainly due to their deadly spikes from their captain. KE lost 25-13.
The 2nd set was unfortunately more dismal than the 1st. Although KE did have some good serves from captain Priya and some other players, TH managed to spike fast and lethal balls over, making it hard for KE to receive. When KE managed to receive them, the ball usually goes very far out of the court. TH won 25-10.
As KE volleyball girls lost both their preliminary matches, they would not be able to proceed to the semi finals. However, these matches are definitely a good opportunity to improve their skills and test their standards against other halls. In time to come, KE volleyball girls will most certainly raise their standards, so look out for them in next year’s IHG!
|
Volleyball (F)
|
KE vs. EH
|
Wed, 04/02/09
|
| King Edward VII | Eusoff Hall | |
| Set 1 | 8 | 25 |
| Set 2 | 17 | 25 |
Writer: Vui Yin (who’s also part of the Volleyball Team)
Editor & Photos: KP
Saving the Bottomline
Once Upon A Time… Whoops! This did not happen only in fairy tales, and neither in moral-value-based stories; this is what happened in reality to the female volleyball team. You might be curling in your room for warmth or you might be hopping up and down outside playing with the rain, but the female volleyball players were busy warming up on the evening of February 4th 2009. A number of KEVIIans were actually on the spot, helping the players to sweep water off the court, making sure it was dry and safe for our precious players. This has always been our spirit! We were going to face the Eusoff Hall female volleyball team in minutes. Captains, ex-captains, seniors, juniors …etc, gathered around for briefing and support.
After a few minutes, both teams were allowed to warm up using the court. It was now dry and clean, just like a brand new court. What happened next was the warming up of spiking, serving and more. From the side, it was just like a rain of balls of white, yellow and blue, shot from each edge of the court. The nets were up and measured accurately to the standard height. To get ready with the game, one must get used with the court and balls – and also your teammates and opponents. This was what was going on beyong those flying balls. You play, you try, you observe and you analyze. Game is not just an activity that you stick your legs in and take up spaces; it is ‘Good Activity using Minds and Ethiquettes’. Moral is important here and each team should respect the other team, as sportsmen or sportswomen.
When our players were all prepared, the game started. For the first game, our players seemed to be infected by the weather. Their service off-sided, their legs nailed on the ground, and captains and seniors were cheering for them. Their spirit finally returned in the middle of the game, though. That was when the game started to live up a bit. Eusoff Hall players definitely had the skills but I might say, King Edward VII Hall could also do well, with some desperation. At the end of the first match, KE7 lost to EH with the score of 8 to 25. However, our players never gave up. Several people came to cheer and we were very seriously grateful for that.
In the second game, KE7 started to come back on form. From the side, it was obvious that our players tried their best. Priya (the Captain), for instance, was serving excellent first balls all the way. Our brand new setter Priscillia, although inexperienced, yet tried her best to race along the court to take up the second ball. It was quite impressive to see a first-time setter to perform that way, bravo for her! Some other players were not that bad as well. They have actually managed to save quite a lot of balls and gave our spikers plenty of opportunities to spike the ball over.
In the end, what the score was is not important, (KE lost to EH by 17 to 25, if you really want to know it), because it was noteworthy that the team came back as a team. That’s what our team is made of! Indeed, they tried their best and I dare say, they deserve an applause.
Footnote: *bow* thanks for welfare, supporters, seniors and all others ‘chabalang’ for coming down and help out!
|
Volleyball (M)
|
KE vs. KR
|
Wed, 04/02/09
|
| King Edward VII | Kent Ridge Hall | |
| Set 1 | 6 | 25 |
| Set 2 | 16 | 25 |
Writer: Yun Lan
Photos by: Yun Lan & KP
Editor: KP
Red and dark-blue shirt players and supporters crowded the volleyball court on Wednesday night (4th February) as a fight for victory between KE Hall’s and KR Hall’s male volleyball team was in place. This match meant a lot to KE volleyball players, as we were defeated by Sheares Hall in the previous preliminary match and in order to stand a chance to get ourselves a place in the Semi Finals, we need to knock out the opponent that night, which is one of the strongest volleyball team of this season – KR.
The male volleyball team led by Jordan, have not seemed to heat up yet during the 1st set of the game. The main players – Jordan, together with Yifei, Vincent, Andy, Ashley, and Kan Foong – made basic mistakes quite regularly, especially service errors in the 1st set until a significant number of free points were given away to the opponent. However, we could see the great KE spirit and determination within the team as although we were far left behind, Jordan did not forget to give spirit cheers to the members throughout the game. The guys fought hard until the end and scored 6, versus 25 for the 1st set.
The 2nd set started off after our guys got themselves reenergised, mentally and physically. A short speech was given by Jordan during the short break to reorganise the players’ pace and strategies. Although there were still some service errors made, they whole team performed much better this time. The double blocks by Vincent and Ashley worked so well that they managed to block a few attempted spikes by KR. Some points were lost when the opponent took full advantage of the opportunities given to them and served the ball to empty spaces which were too late to be salvaged by our players. Our players tried their best and kept their stress levels down so that they could maintain their confidence. Although we were so close to catch up with KR in the midst of the game, still we were defeated in the 2nd set with a final score of 16-25.
Although the volleyball team was defeated and robbed of a chance to head into the Semi Finals, the great spirit of “Never Say Die”, teamwork and spirit shown by the volleyball players were noteworthy. KE residents are definitely proud of them.
