Jakarta Monas keeps up its winning streak

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Men's team Jakarta Monas Bank DKI handled the pressure points against Surabaya Samator on Saturday to maintain its perfect match record and stay atop the standings in the Sampoerna Hijau Proliga Volley Ball Championship.

Jakarta Monas Bank DKI finally got the upper hand 3-2 (23-25, 26-24, 17-25, 25-18, 15-12) at Senayan, Central Jakarta, the third stop in the league series.

Surabaya Samator's Kenton Lepp showed early signs that he would dominate with his jumping spikes, but Jakarta Monas players were able to blunt his power with double blocks in the crucial second, fourth and fifth games.

Tied at 2-2, the teams stayed even in the final game until 8- 8, when Jakarta took two points in succession by blocking spikes from Surabaya Samator's Aris A Risqon.

From then on, it was routine for Jakarta Monas as it closed out its fourth straight victory.

Jakarta Monas Bank DKI trainer Dadang Sudrajat acknowledged that Lepp was a formidable opponent, but said his players were undaunted even after trailing losing the third game.

"Our players followed the instructions of their coach to win the match," he said.

Jakarta Monas Bank DKI captain Erwin Rusni said his teammates were not at the top of their game because they felt the pressure to notch another win.

"But at critical times, we played our best and we won today."

Surabaya Samator's captain Aris put the loss down to careless play in the final game and poor returns of serve. Falling behind 8-10 was the turning point, he added.

"It was the critical point because our service returns were poor, and our spikes were easily blocked by our opponents."

Also on Saturday, women's team Gresik Phonska Bank Jatim defeated Yogya Tomkins 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-22) in a contest of two struggling sides.

With a 2-2 win-loss record, Gresik Phonska moved from bottom of the six-team standings to fourth, with Yogya Tompkins dropping to its unenviable position in sixth with its 1-3 tally.

Jakarta 46 BNI leads the standings with an unblemished 4-0 count.