Jakarta Popsivo Polwan Overcome Pressure of Final Four Proliga 2025

KEDIRI, FRIDAY — When a competition enters a higher phase and the competition becomes more intense, the atmosphere and pressure that emerges are usually different. This was felt by Jakarta Popsivo Polwan when entering the final four or top four of Proliga 2025. They were able to overcome the first challenge with a solid performance.

Jakarta Popsivo Polwan may not have encountered significant obstacles during the regular phase. The team, coached by Gerardo Daglio, was able to advance smoothly to occupy the top of the standings and secure the title of regular phase champion. In fact, they recorded 11 victories out of 12 matches in that round.

However, the real test comes in the final four phase when the competition becomes even more intense. The four best teams from the regular phase will compete in three series in three different cities to win two tickets to the final.

We were lucky to win this first match because the players actually played under pressure.

Gerardo Daglio acknowledged that his protégés performed under pressure in their first match of the final four against Gresik Petrokimia Pupuk Indonesia, Friday (18/4/2025). Playing at the GOR Jayabaya Kediri in Kediri, East Java, Popsivo even had to concede the first set to Petrokimia.

Fortunately, Daglio stated, the Popsivo players were able to quickly overcome that pressure. Yolla Yuliana and her teammates bounced back in the following set, displaying a solid performance, and ultimately secured a 3-1 victory (24-26, 25-17, 25-20, 25-16).

"We were lucky to win this first game because the players actually played like they were under pressure. Maybe all the teams felt the same situation because it was the first game of the final four," Daglio said.

Popsivo's middle blocker, Yolla Yuliana, also agreed that her team's first appearance in the final four was still not perfect. They still often made mistakes that resulted in points for their opponents. "But we are grateful that today we were able to win the match," said Yolla, who was brought in by Popsivo ahead of the final four.

In the first set, Popsivo struggled to cope with the pressure exerted by Petrokimia through the serves and powerful hits of its two foreign players, Julia Maria Sangiacomo and Hana Davyskiba. As a result, Popsivo fell behind 4-8 and 13-16.

Although Popsivo managed to chase and equalize the score several times, they appeared to struggle to score points. This was due to Petrokimia's tight blocking in thwarting their attacks.

Only in the second set did Popsivo demonstrate a more solid performance. Popsivo reaped sweet results from their decision to replace their foreign player.

Before the final four, Popsivo released two of its foreign players, Neriman Ozsoy and Bethania de la Cruz. The decision to release Ozsoy was surprising because the player was the backbone of the team in gaining points.

Popsivo then brought in Madison Kingdon Rishel, a player from the United States who had previously strengthened the team in the last season. Madison Kingdon was brought in alongside another American player, Jessica Mruzik, who was named the most outstanding player in 2024 by the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) volleyball championship.

Kingdon was able to be the driving force of the team's attack and the highest scorer in the match with a total of 19 points. Meanwhile, Mruzik followed closely with a contribution of 18 points.

Popsivo's local outside hitter, Arsela Nuari, also performed well by posting 15 points. So did middle blocker Shella Bernadetta Onnan who made 15 block attempts and contributed 4 points.

Meanwhile, Petrokimia, which still could not be reinforced by Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi due to a knee injury, faced increased pressure after the first set. Moreover, they frequently made mistakes, especially during serves.

Petrokimia coach, Jeff Jiang Jie, stated that his players played less calmly, resulting in their failure to win the first match of the final four. "Our players also often made mistakes, which made it easier for the opponents to apply pressure," said the coach from China.