Patriot, Tunas share points in Proliga match

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta Patriot and Bogor Tunas squared the points at 1-1 in a Proliga professional volleyball encounter at the Bung Karno Tennis Indoor Stadium here on Friday.

Jakarta beat the Tunas in the men's match 25-21, 25-16, 25-21 to take its first victory in five matches, while the Bogor women's team managed to struggle past Patriot 3-1, also for its first victory.

Spearheaded by Australian Renae Maycock, Bogor Tunas' women dominated the first set, winning 25-16. But it lost ground in the second set, losing 18-25, before coming back with 25-20 and 25-21 wins in the following two sets.

"I did not burden them with a target of having to win. I only told them to play as well as possible. I let them solve their own problems from the previous matches," coach Machfud Irsyada told a press conference.

"They appeared to have accomplished their job well," he added.

Despite the win, Machfud said that the team was still lacking in speed and confidence.

"When the ball was coming in their direction, they at times hesitated whether to take it themselves or to allow another to take it. This resulted in the ball going to the floor without being touched," he said.

With her height of 186 centimeters, Maycock stood out not only among her Tunas' teammates but also in the game. She was seen being anchored either at left or right of the attacking front to do the spiking.

Her spike, though not too powerful, was able to disrupt the Patriot defense.

"It was a good game. The second set was disappointing but we could improve in the following. This is the best game we have ever had," Maycock said.

Meanwhile, Patriot women's coach Joko Margo rued the way his team performed. "They did not play as well as before. They were overly cautious," he said.

"I had expected to take points from this match because I think our strengths are on a par. The Tunas proved to be better out there," he said.

In the other match of the women's category, Jakarta Princess and its cross-city rival Phinisi were involved in a tight five set battle with the win going to the latter, 25-21, 11-25, 21-25, 25-23, 9-15.

Meanwhile, Bandung Tectona gained mixed results in Yogyakarta. The men managed to overcome Surabaya Flame 3-2 but the women lost to Gresik Phonska 1-3.