Foreign players enjoying league despite challenges

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 03/24/2008 11:48 AM  |  Sports

The Indonesian weather might be different than she's used to, but Barb Bellini has managed to lead the BNI Taplus to a respectable place in the Proliga national semipro indoor volleyball league.

The Canadian spiker has led teammates to win three matches in a row during the first leg of the competition.

"I think in my position as an open spiker, I get a lot of sets ... and that is my role on the team," Bellini told The Jakarta Post recently after a training session at Senayan's volleyball court in central Jakarta.

Born in Vancouver, Canada, on March 14, 1977, Bellini started playing volleyball at the age of 13 when she was in junior high school.

She made her pro debut in 2000, playing in France, Portugal, Italy and Puerto Rico before joining the Indonesian club this year.

"This is my first time playing in Asia," she said, adding she was enjoying it so far but that weather and communication could sometimes make it difficult.

"It's very different playing here. I'm not used to playing in such hot weather. It makes me breathe harder and sweat a lot more," said the 186-centimeter-tall woman.

Bellini said it "gets a little bit difficult in communicating ... but the girls (on the team) speak English, so they translate it for us".

Her countrywoman and teammate Saxony Brown said the weather bothered her for a week or so before she began to acclimatize.

"Now we're already adjusting ourselves," said the 24-year-old Brown, whose trip to Indonesia marked her professional debut.

Despite the language and weather strains, she says she has enjoyed the game here.

"It's my first time as a professional player. It's fun playing here with a lot of rallies, good defense, big hitters and swinging," said Brown, who graduated from the University of Idaho in the United States last May.

The national volleyball association launched the Proliga in 2002 with a view to reviving the national team's performance in regional competition.

League clubs are allowed to hire foreign players for the first time, a move hoped to push local players to higher levels.

The 2008 season features five men's and six women's teams with competition running in rotation in Malang, Gresik, Jember, Sleman, Solo, Bogor, Bandung and Jakarta.

Player Jack Cabott, also from Canada, said local players had a fantastic attacking game but poor blocking and defense.

The blocker for the men's team of BNI Taplus also said humidity caused the players to sweat a lot and made the playing floor slippery. But that has not detracted from the game, he said, or from his amazement at the crowds' enthusiasm.

"It's very fun to play here because the spectators are excited on every point," he said. (nkn)

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