Monas takes second victory in Proliga

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta Monas chalked up its second victory on Sunday after defeating Jakarta Phinisi 25-20, 19-25, 25-14, 22-25, 15-11 in the women's division of the 2004 Proliga volleyball competition at the Bung Karno Basketball Hall in Senayan, central Jakarta.

Jakarta Monas beat Gresik Phonska Petrokimia also 3-2 on Friday while for Phinisi it was its first defeat after it overcame Jakarta Elektrik 3-0 on the opening day.

It was a tight battle between Monas and Phinisi on Sunday with both teams dueling for the lead throughout the match.

Phinisi coach Sukirno conceded that Monas' foreign player Christine Lambert played a pivotal role in her team's performance, making it difficult for his team to penetrate into Monas' defense.

Despite the victory, Monas coach Jopie Hehanusa said he did not feel satisfied yet with the team's performance during the game, including Lambert's performance.

"They were playing at 50 percent of their real strength," Jopie said as quoted by Antara.

Earlier, defending champion Bandung Art Deco got off to a winning start in its defense campaign with a 25-9, 25-20, 24-26, 25-19 win over Yogya Gunadarma.

It was Gunadarma's second defeat following its defeat by Phonska on Saturday.

Six men's teams and six women's teams are taking part in the 2004 season of the national semi-professional league to be played in six series in five different cities.

The semifinals and final are scheduled for June 11 and 12 in Jakarta at the Bung Karno Indoor Stadium. The league offers a total of Rp 380 million (US$44,700) in cash prizes.

In the men's division, Bandung Telkomsel and Yogya Gunadarma faced each other while Jakarta Phinisi took on Jakarta Monas in the other match.

Surabaya Flame, which did not play on Sunday, topped the standings, taking back-to-back victories over Monas on Friday and Gunadarma on Saturday.