Jakarta 46 BNI takes aim at Proliga double victory
Jakarta 46 BNI takes aim at Proliga double victory
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Hometown teams have emerged as the favorites for both the men's and women's competitions as the 2005 Sampoerna Hijau Proliga volleyball tournament enters its final stretch.
In the men's division, Jakarta 46 BNI, with nine wins and one loss, is atop the standings after the preliminary legs, while its women's team also leads with seven victories and three losses.
Jakarta 46 BNI's lone defeat occurred in the first leg in Jakarta in March against second ranked Jakarta Monas Bank DKI, who has compiled an 8-2 win-loss record. However, it avenged the defeat in Yogyakarta in April.
Defending men's champion Surabaya Samator (5-5) and Jakarta Electric PLN (4-6) round out the last four.
Among the women, defending champion Jakarta Electric PLN (7-3) is second, followed by Bandung Artdeco Bank Jabar and Jakarta Monas, an sharing identical 6-4 record.
In Friday's men division semifinal, Jakarta 46 BNI will meet Jakarta Electric PLN and Jakarta Monas Bank DKI will take on Surabaya Samator.
In the women's group semifinal, Jakarta 46 BNI encounters Jakarta Monas Bank DKI and Jakarta Electric PLN meets Bandung Artdeco Bank Jabar.
Saturday is a rest day before Sunday's finals. The women's final will be held at 1:30 p.m., followed by the men's at 3:30 p.m. Winning teams in both divisions each take home Rp 75 million.
Jakarta 46 BNI women's team head coach Sukirno predicted his team, with the league's top tosser Puspita Dewi Rani and leading blocker Rianita Panirwan, would overcome Jakarta Monas Bank DKI, despite losing 1-3 in Yogyakarta.
"We are ready this time technically and mentally," he said at a press conference on Thursday.
Jakarta Monas Bank DKI manager Zulfarsah acknowledged his women's team was the underdog this year, but warned the favorites against complacency.
"The semifinal is not only about technique, but also mentality. Our players' mental strength is enough to beat Jakarta 46 BNI," he said.
"But our men's team will have a better chance to win the semifinal although our opponent Surabaya Samator is a good, growing team."
Women's team Jakarta Electric PLN head coach Viktor Laiyan reminded that his team bounced back to beat Bandung Artdeco Bank Jabar 3-2 (25-20, 25-19, 24-26, 23-25, 15-10) in the second round to make amends for a 0-3 (17-25, 23-25, 26-28) loss in the first round.
"So we have our own way to beat Bandung Artdeco in semifinal," he said.