Megawati Hangestri and Red Sparks Must Fight Until the Decisive Match

DAEJEON, THURSDAY — Indonesian women's volleyball player, Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi, must fight alongside Daejeon Jung Kwan Jang Red Sparks until the decisive match to secure a ticket to the final round of the Korean Volleyball League. The opportunity to advance to the championship match through two games has vanished after they failed to capitalize on a valuable advantage.

The valuable capital was in the form of a victory in the first match of the playoff phase and an injection of enthusiasm from the public because they were playing at home. The capital seemed to mean nothing when Megawati and her friends lost 0-3 (20-25, 17-25, 22-25) in the second match against Suwon Hyundai E&C Hillstate at the Chungmu Gymnasium, Daejeon, South Korea, Thursday (3/27/2025).

As a result, the fight for the final ticket had to continue to the third match. The Korean Volleyball League playoff phase matches took place in a best-of-three format. If a team wins two matches, then they are entitled to advance to the championship match or the final round against the top of the standings.

Meanwhile, if both teams defeat each other in two matches, then there must be a third match as a decider. This season, Red Sparks and Hillstate advanced to the playoffs as the third and second place occupants. They competed for a ticket to the final to fight Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders who came out as the number one ranking in the standings.

With that defeat, Megawati and her friends seemed to have tarnished their positive start in the playoff phase. In the first match of the playoff round held at the opponent's headquarters, the Red Sparks managed to win 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 25-19) over the defending champion. They only need one more win to advance to the final.

What a pity, Red Sparks were defeated when playing at home. They now have to return to the opponent's base at Suwon Gymnasium, Suwon, South Korea, to play the decisive match on Saturday (29/3/2025).

Although victorious in their previous away match, Red Sparks will face a tougher challenge this time. This is because they are under double pressure: the support of opposing fans and the obligation to secure another win.

The result was disappointing, but I think the players did their best.

The situation of Red Sparks is in stark contrast to last season. At that time, the team coached by Ko Hee-jin lost their opening match at the opponent's venue. Then, they managed to secure a victory as the host to force a third match.

When the deciding match came, the Red Sparks lost again. They also dashed their dreams of appearing in the final.

"The result is disappointing, but I think the players did their best," said Ko Hee-jin, quoted from South Korean media, The Spike.

Compared to the first match, the Red Sparks performed less convincingly in the second meeting. The absence of the team's mainstay setter, Yeom Hye-seon, due to injury also affected the team's play.

Previously, the Red Sparks faced a crisis with the injuries of foreign players who were Megawati's tandem, Vanja Bukilic, and Park Eun-jin, ahead of the playoffs. After the two players began to recover, the Red Sparks faced another crisis with Hye-seon's injury.

This becomes homework for Megawati and her team as they look ahead to the third match. Moreover, they are determined to reach the final for the first time in 13 years.

The player who replaced Hye-seon, Kim Chae-na, has not been able to fill the gap in the team. The flow of the team's passes was also less effective, resulting in attacks that could not be maximized.

The Red Sparks' attack success rate was only 36.61 percent. Hillstate was superior with a success rate of 41.58 percent.

In the first match, Megawati was able to score up to 24 points for the Red Sparks' victory. The player from Jember, East Java, managed to overcome her nervousness well.

Megawati said, an effective way to overcome nervousness in the match is to treat it like a regular training. The only difference is that there are many spectators watching.

Not only that, Megawati was able to maintain focus until the end of the match. This was not seen in the second match when the 25-year-old player could only contribute 15 points.

Megawati's points were below Vanja Bukilic who scored the most points for the Red Sparks with 18 points. These two players were the backbone of the team, but Megawati and Vanja also shared their share of errors, 9 and 7 times respectively, to give points to the opponent.

"What's disappointing today is that there were a lot of plays where we lost focus. There were things we wanted to do, but tactically, we failed to do them," Ko Hee-jin said.

"The best concentration was in the first game because we digested everything we had prepared. Today, we lost everything. Those are the parts that need to be evaluated. In the end, it's all about concentration," he said again.

On the other hand, Red Sparks and Hillstate were both inconsistent in receiving the ball. However, Red Sparks recorded a lower receiving efficiency rate of 14.49 percent. Meanwhile, Hillstate was 23.31 percent.

In this match, it was Hillstate's foreign player, Laetitia Moma Bassoko, who shone by becoming the top scorer. The Cameroonian player recorded 24 points with an attack success rate of 53.85 percent.

"I think we fought well in the first game. In the second game, we knew what kind of team the Red Sparks were, so we tried to do what we could. We encouraged each other and tried to do it without pressure," Moma said.