BNI Taplus, Art Deco favorites in Proliga Final Four

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 04/27/2006 10:56 AM

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Defending champion BNI Taplus of Jakarta is the favorite in the Proliga volleyball tournament's final four in the men's section, while Art Deco Bank Jabar of Bandung is the strongest contender to grab the women's best team title at the weekend.

BNI Taplus tops the men's division table with eight wins and two losses in 10 matches. The team lost twice to 2002 Proliga champion BSI Tectona of Bandung, which trails in second place with six wins and four losses.

""We are optimistic we will retain the title this year. Losing twice to BSI doesn't mean we will lose again if we meet in the semifinals,"" BNI Taplus manager Dasuki Amsir told reporters on Wednesday.

BNI Taplus will face bottom finisher P2B Sananta at the Bung Karno Basketball Hall in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Friday at 1 p.m., while BSI will test third seeded Samator of Surabaya later in the day to secure the final berth set on Sunday.

Last year's runner-up Monas Bank DKI of Jakarta exited early with only three wins out of 10. Yogyakarta-based Yuso Tomkins Mikasa also had to pack early after failing to score a single victory.

In the women's section, Art Deco leads with nine wins of 10 matches. Its only defeat was to the 2002 and 2003 Proliga runner-up Gresik Phonska (Grespho), now trailing second with eight wins and two losses.

Art Deco will meet defending champion BNI Taplus, now bottom of the standings, while Grespho will face third seeded Electric PLN of Jakarta.

The winner of the 2002 event Monas Bank DKI and Yuso had also exit the tournament early.

""We hope to see many surprises and attractions performed by the best teams in the final four,"" said organizing committee chairman Hanny Surkatty.

The Indonesian Volleyball Association's secretary-general, Nyoman Sukesna, said the association would send the winning teams in both divisions to represent Indonesia at Asian tournaments.

""The winning team in the men's division will compete in an Asian tournament in Hanoi on May 21-28 while the women's division winner will play in a similar tournament in Manila on May 21-24,"" he said.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.