Jakarta sweeps volleyball c'ships

JAKARTA (JP): Host Jakarta grabbed both the men's and women's titles at the 2001 interchapter national volleyball championships, defeating West Java in the finals on Sunday at the basketball hall of the Bung Karno Sports Complex.

The Jakarta men's team won the first set 25-23 but slipped up in the second set, losing 26-24. The home team, supported by nearly 3,000 spectators, bounced back to win the third set 25- 20.

But the visitors kept the pressure on in walking away with the fourth set 25-12. The play of West Java's Minar Rohman was key in the fourth set, as he scored on a number of vicious spikes to keep his side's hopes alive.

As the set began to get away from them, Jakarta seemed to give up on the set, choosing to conserve their energy for the deciding fifth set.

In the decider, a refreshed Jakarta romped to a 15-10 win and the men's title.

In the women's final, host Jakarta defeated crowd favorite West Java 3-1 (25-20, 16-25, 25-23, 25-19).

Jakarta began the first set a little shakily, but still managed to hang on for the win. In the second set, the visitor showed off its power and equaled match at 1-1.

In the third set, West Java played tenaciously but Jakarta was able to shake them in the end, winning 25-23. The effort appeared to have sapped the strength from West Java, and Jakarta walked away with the title with a 25-19 victory in the fourth set.

"Setter Rita Kurniawati was quite nervous in the first two sets so we had some problems. But she was able to improve her play and motivate the other players," Jakarta's coach Budianto said after the match.

"My players, especially Inna Mayrina and Meila Sugianto, were also able to effectively block the West Java players," he added.

West Java coach Yun Yun Y. pointed to a lack of physical conditioning as the reason for his team's defeat.

"My players were exhausted following their semifinals match against East Java, when they had to play five sets on Saturday. All they had left was their fighting spirit.

"On the other hand, Jakarta won their semifinals match 3-0, allowing them to save more energy. My players were unable to follow my instructions because they were exhausted," he said.

Earlier in the afternoon, the East Java teams outclassed Yogyakarta to take third place in both the men's and women's divisions.

In the men's division, East Java defeated Yogyakarta 25-19, 25-23, 25-21, while in the women's division East Java enjoyed a 25-9, 25-23, 25-21 victory. (nvn)