SELANGOR: Sarawak’s women’s volleyball squad kept their perfect run alive, sweeping Federal Territories 3-0 to book their place in the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) Selangor 2026 final at Dewan Bola Tampar MBSA today.
The Sarawakians, who had not dropped a single set throughout the pool stage, secured the semi-final victory 25-21, 25-23, 25-17.
Assistant Chef-de-Mission (ACDM), Angellie Stephen Raja, praised the squad’s consistency throughout the Games, saying the players had shown the ability to recover even when they struggled early in a match.
“The girls have been playing well all through SUKMA. They have been stable.
“Only today, in the early set, they were struggling a bit, but in the end they managed to bring themselves about and I am very happy with that,” she told Sarawak Tribune.
She said the current squad was also different from the team that competed at SUKMA Sarawak 2024, with at least half of the players being new.
However, regular high-performance training sessions in Sibu had helped the players build a strong understanding of each other, with the squad spending extensive time together both on and off the court.
“They are always together during training and that is why we can see that they are strong, consistent in their game, and stable during their matches.
“Sometimes they eat and sleep together, that is why their chemistry is very strong,” she said.
Angellie added that even after one of the squad’s main players suffered a leg injury on the opening day, the team had maintained its momentum and strategy, with every player contributing balanced skills across their respective positions.
Head coach, Angela Tang, said her players were doing well overall, although they occasionally allowed themselves to overthink their movements and decisions on court today.
“They tend to overthink every move and every ball that goes into their court. But they quickly gained their composure and confidence during the match,” she said.
Angela said the semi-final presented a tougher test compared with the pool stage, with the score gaps against Federal Territories much closer than in Sarawak’s earlier matches.
She added that the team had benefited from a favourable pool-stage run, but the semi-final required the players to dig deeper and maintain their composure when the opposition kept the pressure on.
Meanwhile with the final now secured, Angellie backed the Sarawak girls to continue their strong run, saying their progress could extend beyond SUKMA.
“I foresee that our Sarawak women’s volleyball team will be doing better. I would expect to see them playing in the coming Southeast Asia (SEA) Games,” she added.
Also present spectating the match was Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian and Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Office (Corporate Affairs, Information and Sarawak Public Communication Unit), Datuk Abdullah Saidol.
