World Stars Color the Final Four of Proliga 2025

Jordan Thompson (27) could not stop smiling upon his arrival in Indonesia via Soekarno Hatta Airport, Tangerang, on Wednesday (16/4/2025) afternoon. Despite having just completed a journey of over 10 hours from the United States, Thompson still displayed a happy expression. He received a warm welcome from several fans of the Jakarta Pertamina Enduro women's volleyball club, who came bearing flowers and posters.

Thompson is Jakarta Pertamina Enduro's (JPE) new weapon to navigate the rest of the 2025 Proliga season. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist with the United States women's national team will add strength to JPE to face the competition in the top four or final four. She fills the quota of two foreign players for Pertamina Enduro with Yana Shcherban (Russia).

In Proliga 2025, each team is allowed to have two foreign players. The substitution of foreign players can be done until before the final four round. Previously, JPE had released two of its foreign players, Elana Samoleinko (Russia) and Erica Staunton (United States).

"I know that the club and the players are very eager to win. I hope to bring my competitive energy, spirit, and passion to the field and help my team in any way I can," said Thompson.

With JPE, Thompson will start his career in Proliga in the first match of the final four on Thursday (17/4/2025). The first series of the final four which will last until Sunday (20/4/2025) will be held at the Jayabaya Sports Hall, Kediri, East Java.

JPE will open the curtain on the final four competition with a match against Jakarta Electric PLN at 16:00 WIB. Thompson, who continued his journey to Surabaya on Wednesday afternoon and then to Kediri in the evening, said he was ready to appear directly in the first match.

According to Thompson, the long journey and jet lag will not be an obstacle for him to meet the expectation of appearing from the first match. The experience of playing for the US national team and competing in several countries has made him accustomed to dealing with fatigue due to long journeys.

Thompson is a world-class female volleyball player with a wealth of experience and achievements. The player, who stands at 193 centimeters tall, has led the US national team to the Olympic finals twice. After winning gold at Tokyo 2020, she secured silver at Paris 2024.

At club level, Thompson has played for elite European teams such as Fenerbahce, Vero Volley Milano and VakıfBank S.K. In the 2024-2025 season, the player who will wear the number 23 jersey was named the best player and Opposite Attacker of The Year of the US professional volleyball league, League One Volleyball (LOVB).

"Wherever I play, my main goal is to help them in any way I can. Sometimes that means I have to do more. And I just hope that my volleyball IQ or my knowledge of volleyball can help the team," said Thompson when asked about his targets with JPE.

"I can be very competitive and draw on all the experience I have from every league I have played in, from the national team, to help the current team. I am confident that everything will go well," he added.

The Chef de Mission of JPE, Werry Prayogi, stated that Thompson's presence is a management effort to achieve the championship target for Proliga 2025. Moreover, JPE last won the championship title seven years ago, specifically in Proliga 2018.

The 2018 Proliga title is the second trophy for the team that also used the names Jakarta Pertamina Energi Putri and Jakarta Pertamina Fastron. They emerged as champions in the 2014 edition. In the 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2023 Proliga editions, they had to be satisfied with finishing as runners-up.

Last season, JPE actually managed to reach the top four. However, they failed to advance to the final match after winning only once in the initial matches against Jakarta BIN. In the third-place playoff, JPE lost to Popsivo Polwan.

"Therefore, I am selecting players who are undoubtedly of high quality. I choose the best players to lead the team to victory. This also aligns with the team's needs, especially since the situation in the final four is not the same as last year. Everything has changed, and all teams are preparing their best strategies," said Werry.

In addition to Thompson, other world-class players will also color the 2025 Proliga final four competition. That includes Thompson's teammate on the US national team, Kelsey Marie Robinson Cook. Compared to Thompson, Cook even strengthened the US national team at the Olympics earlier.

Before winning gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and silver in Paris 2024, Cook had strengthened the US national team in Rio de Janeiro 2016. At that time, the player, who has been part of the US national team since 2014, contributed a bronze medal for his country in Rio.

Thompson and Cook will face each other directly in the first match of the final four. Because, Cook was recruited by Jakarta Electric PLN who is JPE's opponent in the match.

Electric PLN previously had two foreign players, namely Polina Shemanova (Russia) and Valentina Fatou Diouf (Italy), who frequently contributed to the team's victories. Polina was retained, while Valentina was released and replaced by Cook.

Other US players who will appear in the 2025 Proliga final four are Madison Kingdon and Julia Sangiacomo and Thompson's LOVB Houston Volleyball teammate Jessica Mruzik. Along with Kingdon, Mruzik will defend Jakarta Popsivo Polwan who released two of their foreign players, Neriman Ozsoy (Turkey) and Bethania de la Cruz (Dominican Republic).

Meanwhile, Sangiacomo will strengthen Gresik Petrokimia Pupuk Indonesia alongside Hanna Davyskiba (Belarus). Both Mruzik, Kingdon, Sangiacomo, and Davyskiba are all experienced players on the international stage.

Kingdon, for instance, has played for various clubs in the United States, Turkey, Italy, South Korea, and Azerbaijan. Although he has never competed in the Olympics, Kingdon won gold medals in the National Volleyball League or VNL in 2018 and 2019.

In the men's sector, players from the US will also color the competition for the last four, namely Kyle Russell with Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi. Russel fills the foreign player slot with Cuban outside hitter Leonardo Leyva Martinez.

In addition, there is a player from Croatia who previously played in Italy, Marko Sedlacek, who will strengthen Palembang Bank Sumsel Babel. Another foreign player who will reinforce Bank Sumsel Babel is Bradley Robert Gunter (Canada).

The large number of foreign players from the United States in the Proliga, particularly in the women's sector, is closely related to the conclusion of several volleyball competitions in the United States and Europe. As a result, these players are available for recruitment by teams without the need to pay transfer fees.

Regardless of that, local players are expected to gain experience from the presence of these foreign players who are rich in experience and achievements. One of Indonesia's best players, Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi, for instance, is hoped to have the opportunity to compete against and learn from world-class players.

After appearing in the 2024-2025 Korean Volleyball League, Megawati will play for Gresik Petrokimia Pupuk Indonesia in the final four. Petrokimia officially announced Megawati as part of its team on Wednesday (16/4/2025).

Despite concerns about her performance due to a knee injury, Megawati will have a valuable opportunity if she can compete against these world-class players. In addition to providing new experiences, the presence of these players could further hone Megawati's skills.

"Megawati can be said to be the best Indonesian opponent. Thompson, for example, who is also the best opponent in the US and one of the best in the world can provide insight for Megawati. This means that the presence of players like Thompson can also contribute to the development of local players. Including in JPE, to (Junaida) Santi," said Werry.