Lavani Picks Victory, Megawati Refrains from Appearing

The two leading teams in the men's and women's groups achieved maximum results in the inaugural 2024 Proliga match.

DOKUMENTASI PBVSI

The Lavani Allo Bank Electric players celebrated points when facing the Jakarta Garuda Jaya in the opening match of the 2024 PLN Mobile Proliga at GOR Amongrogo, Yogyakarta, on Thursday (25/4/2024). In the match, Lavani won in straight sets (25-16, 25-22, 25-20).

YOGYAKARTA, KOMPAS — The men's team of defending Proliga champions, Jakarta Lavani Allo Bank Electric, picked up full points in the inaugural PLN Mobile match Proliga 2024 at GOR Amongrogo, Yogyakarta, Thursday (25/4/2024). In the women's match, the Jakarta BIN team which was without Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi also won over Jakarta Livin Mandiri.

Lavani beat Jakarta Garuda Jaya in three straight sets, 25-16, 25-22 and 25-20. This result is in line with predictions on paper considering that Garuda Jaya is the debut Proliga team. The team is also filled with U-20 players trained by the Indonesian Volleyball Association (PBVSI) who are being prepared to take part in the U-20 Asian Volleyball Championship in Surabaya in July 2024.

However, Lavani's steps in the first match of the competition season were not easy. Garuda Jaya unexpectedly put up a strong fight, especially in the last two sets. Lavani also often made mistakes that benefited the opponent.

The level of maturity of experience and superior technical quality eventually became the key for Lavani to end the resistance of Garuda Jaya. Several self-made mistakes by Garuda Jaya's players also prevented the team from optimizing their points.

Also read: Proliga 2024 Ready to Roll Out, Promises Super Tight Competition

DOKUMENTASI PBVSI

Jakarta Garuda Jaya player, Fauzan Nibras, did a spike when facing Lavani Allo Bank Electric in the opening match of the PLN Mobile Proliga 2024 at GOR Amongrogo, Yogyakarta, Thursday (25/4/2024). In that match, Lavani won over Garuda Jaya in straight sets (25-16, 25-22, 25-20).

Lavani is strengthened by star players such as setter Dio Zulfikri, Hendra Kurniawan and Fahri Septian. The presence of two foreign legions, namely Renan Buiatti from Brazil and Mohammadreza Beik from Iran, further adds to the power of the team that owns two Proliga titles.

After the match, Assistant Coach Lavani Samsul Jais stated that his team still needs to improve their communication among players, especially between Dio and the two foreign players who joined this season. "This is only the first dive and we are still seeking communication. We are confident that as the competition progresses, communication will continue to improve," he said.

Also read: Time for the 2024 Pro League to Take Advantage of Volleyball Enthusiasm

Another sector that is of concern, said Samsul, is blocking. The defensive wall in front of the net still often breaks down. "These deficiencies will be corrected," said Samsul.

Fahri Septian also admitted that communication between players was not smooth, which resulted in the team's performance being unsatisfactory in this inaugural match. "In the future we will be more optimal," said the outside hitter, who previously played in the Bulgarian League.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

The expression of Indonesian female volleyball player Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi, who strengthens the Red Sparks team in South Korea, after scoring during a friendly match against the Indonesian All Star Women's Volleyball Team in the Fun Volley Ball event at the Indonesia Arena Stadium, Gelora Bung Karno complex, Jakarta on Saturday (20/4/2024).

Meanwhile, Garuda Jaya Manager Loudry Maspaitella expressed his pleasure that his team was able to match the game of Lavani, a strong team. "We didn't expect to win. What's more important is to hone the maturity and mental toughness of our players in every match," he said.

The short preparation time of the Garuda Jaya team, which is only about a month, has resulted in the team's physical and mental condition not being optimal. Not to mention the psychological factor as the youngest team facing star players and seniors in the highest caste volleyball league in the country. "If they can match the opponent's game today, that's the best point we can hope for," said Loudry.

We didn't expect to win. What is more important is to hone the maturity and mental maturity of the players in each match.

Do not appear

The second match between the Jakarta BIN women's team and debutant Jakarta Livin Mandiri ended 3-1 (25-20, 29-27, 21-25, 25-15) in favor of Jakarta BIN. This victory was achieved despite Jakarta BIN not being reinforced by one of its star players, Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi.

After the match, Jakarta BIN Coach Danai Sriwacharamaytakul said that Megawati's condition is still not very healthy. Therefore, he did not want to take the risk of playing him in this match. "I prefer to prioritize the long term so that the player is fit for the upcoming matches," he said.

Also read: Proliga 2024, Opened by Megawati's "Megatron" Action and Colored by Jakarta Garuda

Regarding whether Megawati can be replaced in the next Jakarta BIN match, Danai said that it still needs to wait for a doctor's report. Jakarta BIN is scheduled to meet last season’s champion team, Bandung bjb Tandamata, on Saturday (27/4/2024).

In the last match on the first day, defending champions Bandung bjb Tandamata were defeated by Jakarta Pertamina Enduro in a rematch of the Proliga 2023 final for the women's category. Enduro, reinforced by Giovana Milana, Megawati's teammate from the recently concluded Korean League, defeated the team coached by Alim Suseno with a score of 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 25-18).