Jakarta Electric loses opening game<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Women's defending champions Jakarta Electric PLN made an
\ndisappointing start in its title defense at the 2005 Proliga
\nVolleyball championship on Friday.<\/p>\n
The team -- with many players from last year's winning team
\nmissing this time round -- went down 2-3 (25-23, 19-25, 25-23,
\n20-25, 11-15) to Jakarta Monas Bank DKI.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Electric made a perfect start in the first game thanks
\nto a series of solid spikes from Brazilian star player Aline
\nPereira.<\/p>\n
But the team went off the boil in the second game after
\nleading 11-7. Jakarta Electric's players made too many unforced
\nerrors, often failing to return serve and sending their spikes
\nout of bounds.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Monas, through the efforts of Condace Magname of the
\nU.S, seized the opportunity to win the second game.<\/p>\n
In the third game, still relying on the one-woman-show of
\nPereira's prowess, Jakarta Electric found its rhythm once again
\nto win.<\/p>\n
The fourth game was a repeat of the second, with the errors
\ncoming fast and furious from Jakarta Electric.<\/p>\n
They played a desperate game of catch-up in the decider,
\nreaching 4-7 and 7-12, before finally letting the match slip
\naway.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Monas head coach Yopie H said the game hinged on the
\nquality of the local players on his team.<\/p>\n
"I think they have a good foreign player (Pereira), but she
\ndoesn't get support from her local teammates. If they had one or
\ntwo good local players, they could win the match," he said at the
\npostgame press conference.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Electric head coach Victor Laiyan admitted that his
\nteam, with new players making up 60 percent of its ranks, was
\nstill erratic, but he praised the fighting spirit they showed.<\/p>\n
"We played well today. Our local players have good fighting
\nspirit, but they aren't mentally strong yet as most of them are
\nnew players."<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, women's club Jakarta BNI 46 defeated Yogya
\nTomkins 3-2 (21-15, 25-22, 25-10, 23-25, 15-10).<\/p>\n
Jakarta is hosting the first group of Proliga games until
\nSunday. The series moves to Bandung on March 11-13, then returns
\nto Jakarta (March 18-20), before heading to Gresik in East Java
\n(April 8-10), Jakarta (April 15-17) and Yogyakarta (April 22-24).<\/p>",
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