International School, Maple Leaf into girls' open volleyball final

INTERNATIONAL School of PoS (ISPS) continued their fine form in the 2025 Secondary Schools Volleyball League (SSVL) season on February 27 when they advanced to the final of the girls' open category after a day of intense action at the National Cycling Centre, Balmain, Couva.

Two days prior, the ISPS girls were on a roll when they advanced to the final four of the under-15 category after racking up seven straight victories in round-robin play.

ISPS won both the girls' under-14 and under-16 age groups in the last edition of the SSVL. They wasted little time in asserting their dominance in the 2025 season too, and they ended with a perfect record in group A of the open division with three wins.

In their first game, ISPS got a comfortable 25-13, 25-5 win over St Joseph's Convent St Joseph (SJCSJ), before defeating Maple Leaf International School 25-17, 25-16 in their second clash. In their final group match, ISPS were pushed by Iere High School in the second set but they still got a 25-7, 25-20 victory.

Maple Leaf and SJCSJ also progressed from group A, with two wins and one win respectively. Maple Leaf topped both SJCSJ and Iere.

In group B, St Joseph's Convent PoS (SJCPoS) were a step ahead of their challengers as they won three straight games to advance to the semis.

SJCPoS beat San Fernando Central Secondary 25-6, 25-19 in their opening game, before defeating AJSA Girls' College San Fernando 33-31, 25-9 in their second game which saw the teams playing out a wild first set. In their final game, SJCPoS defeated Arima North Secondary 25-13, 25-15 to send them packing from the tourney.

ASJA and San Fernando Central emerged from group B with two wins and one win respectively.

In the quarterfinal, Maple Leaf defeated San Fernando Central in straight sets (25-21, 25-16). Meanwhile, SJCSJ joined their group A counterparts Maple Leaf in the last four when they beat ASJA 25-21, 13-25, 15-5 in an exciting three-set clash.

In the semis, SJCSJ had their run halted, though, as ISPS got a 25-19, 25-13 victory. In the other semifinal, Maple Leaf overcame a poor second set as they beat SJCPoS 27-25, 9-25, 15-11 in an intriguing encounter.

SJCPoS claimed third spot in the girls' open division when they beat SJCSJ 25-11, 25-9.

The final of the open division will be played on March 16 when ISPS tackle Maple Leaf, with the former school seeking to continue their impressive 2025 form and adding to their titles from the last SSVL season in the process. Finals in other divisions will also be decided on March 16.