It's No Longer a Strange Reality as the Women's National Volleyball Team Falls Further Behind

The Southeast Asian inter-country volleyball tournament, SEA V League 2025, still has one round remaining. However, the poor results throughout the first round and a series of defeats from previous tournaments increasingly emphasize that the Indonesian women's national volleyball team is falling further behind in Southeast Asia.

This is no longer an unusual reality. This is the actual reality regarding the quality of the Indonesian women's volleyball national team at present. Not to mention regaining dominance in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is struggling even to compete in the top three.

The defeat against the Philippines with a score of 1-3 (20-25, 20-25, 25-16, 13-25) in the first round of the SEA V League 2025 not only repeated the bitterness of last season. The negative result in the match held at Terminal 21 Korat, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, on Sunday (3/8/2025), also ensured that Indonesia returned home as the bottom team, without points, and without victories.

Previously, Indonesia suffered a heavy defeat against Vietnam, 0-3 (11-25, 11-25, 22-25), in the first match on Friday. Then, the following day, Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi and her teammates lost with a score of 1-3 (25-22, 15-25, 25-27, 12-25) to Thailand.

Only four teams are competing in the SEA V League, namely Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Among these four teams, Indonesia holds the lowest position. However, the tournament, which is held in two rounds, is the most accurate reflection for the SEA Games in Thailand 2025.

More than four decades have passed since Luciana Taroreh and her teammates led the national women's volleyball team to win the gold medal at the SEA Games. The medal from the 1983 SEA Games in Singapore remains the only gold for Indonesia to this day.

If we talk about gold medals, it may be too far-fetched, so let us discuss silver and bronze instead. Since winning silver at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, Indonesia has struggled to reach the finals of Southeast Asian inter-country tournaments again.

At the last SEA Games in Cambodia 2023, the women's national team brought home a bronze medal. As in the previous two editions of the SEA Games, Indonesia defeated the Philippines in the match for third place.

However, the alarm has actually been sounding since last year during the SEA V League 2024. At that time, Indonesia experienced a complete failure, finishing in fourth place. Indonesia struggled to compete with the Philippines, which has risen again towards dominance similar to that of the 1970s.

Indonesia lost 1-3 and 2-3 to the Philippines in the 2024 SEA V League. The women's national team suffered another defeat to the Philippines in the 2025 AVC Nations Cup, an inter-Asian tournament, last June. Indonesia lost 1-3 and could only finish in fifth place, while the Philippines finished as runners-up.

"If we face the Philippines, we must win. Because in its history, the women's national team lost to the Philippines just last year in the SEA V League. Yesterday in the AVC Nations Cup, we also lost due to minimal preparation and an incomplete roster," said Octavian, the coach of the women's national team, before the SEA V League.

However, determination to avenge the defeat alone wasn't enough. Even with a more complete and stronger squad thanks to the presence of two key opponents, Megawati Hangestri and Arsela Nuari, Indonesia still struggled to restore its glory against the Philippines.

The defeat against the Philippines and being pushed out of the top three in the Southeast Asian competition is slowly becoming a common reality, no longer a surprise for Indonesia. Moreover, each tournament is always prepared in a suboptimal manner, as evidenced by the short duration of the training camps.

During the AVC Nations Cup, the team's preparation was less than two weeks. Moreover, the squad was incomplete due to the absence of several called-up players, including Megawati.

The women's national team's outside hitter, Ersandrina Devega, said preparations for the SEA V League were arguably better because they had more time. This is because the players have been training longer since the AVC Nations Cup.

However, the squad actually only trained fully a few days before departure. Devega admitted that the short training period would impact chemistry during the game. The problem is, this minimal preparation keeps recurring.

In recent years, Indonesia may have comfortably secured a position among the top three in Southeast Asia. Looking at the results of the SEA Games, since the 2007 edition in Thailand, Indonesia has consistently been on the podium alongside Thailand and Vietnam. Thailand has always emerged as the champion, while Indonesia has only managed to be a contender in the final once.

The remaining teams are always Vietnam, which can advance to the final and compete for the championship title with Thailand. Meanwhile, Indonesia alternates with Myanmar and the Philippines in the match for third place.

However, with a series of defeats, particularly against the Philippines, in recent meetings, a comprehensive evaluation is essential. Moreover, if the women's national team wishes to compete and return to the podium at the SEA Games, it must not allow the prospect of falling out of the top three to become a reality that is no longer surprising for the national team and volleyball fans in the country.