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Indonesia fails to emerge from Thai shadow
Defused: Indonesiaâs Agung Seganti launches a spike against Thailand during their volleyball semifinal match at the OCBC Arena in Singapore on Monday
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Defused: Indonesiaâs Agung Seganti launches a spike against Thailand during their volleyball semifinal match at the OCBC Arena in Singapore on Monday. Indonesia lost 25-18, 25-23, 25-16.(JP/Ricky Yudhistira) (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
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span class="inline inline-center">Defused: Indonesia's Agung Seganti launches a spike against Thailand during their volleyball semifinal match at the OCBC Arena in Singapore on Monday. Indonesia lost 25-18, 25-23, 25-16.(JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
Indonesia's hopes of grabbing at least a silver medal in the men's volleyball final on Monday crumbled as they were beaten 25-18, 25-23, 25-16 by regional powerhouse Thailand at the OCBC Arena in Singapore.
Thailand, which has won its third consecutive gold at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, is gunning for a fourth when it takes on Vietnam in the final on Tuesday. Vietnam booked its ticket with a 25-21, 25-17, 25-21 over Myanmar.
It will likely be a double victory for the Thais after their women's team won the final against Vietnam 25-18, 25-18, 25-15.
Indonesia's women volleyballers were also stopped by Thailand in the semifinals.
Like their female compatriots, Agung Seganti and his teammates were an easy target for their opponents' offensive.
Indonesia forced Thailand to work hard early in the first game, catching up to 5-5 on the scoreboard. However, the rest of the game was plain sailing for Thailand, which took easy points from the exposed Indonesian defense. Thailand closed the game 25-18.
In the second game, Indonesia tried to improve with more persistent attacks. The champions responded by shielding themselves with a fortress over the net with Kitsada Somkane, Khanit Silapasorn and the towering 202-centimeter Kissada Nilsawai effectively blocking Indonesia's spikes.
The game was fought out more closely. Trailing four points from Thailand's 20, Indonesia tried to haul itself into the game, but could not stop their opponents taking the game 25-23.
The third game saw Indonesia slump, making countless errors. Thailand punished the sloppiness to win the game 25-16.
'They showed solid team work with good tossers and blockers. They all played well according to their functions, very neatly. It frustrated us,' said team captain Agung, expressing disappointment at his team's failure to emulate the last Games' silver performance.
Indonesia had to settle with silver in Myanmar 2013 after losing to Thailand in the final.
Agung blamed the team's failure on a lack of time to prepare.
'We were together in the training camp for less than a month, minus 10 days when some of our team members competed in the Asian men's U-23 volleyball championship in Myanmar [in May],' he said.
He said they should have ideally had six months in the training camp, as well as several tryouts abroad prior to participating in a multi-sport event.
'We could not assess the quality of our team. We didn't even have sparring partners,' he said.
Coach Ibarsjah Djanu Tjahdjono also blamed the defeat on the lack of preparation, saying that even though the team had failed to meet the target of winning silver, he was not too disappointed given the situation faced by his team prior to the Games.
'Ideally a team has to train together for at least six months to build up chemistry and teamwork among the team members,' he said, adding that his team had been struck by a double whammy when the libero, Bastian, broke his arm and Rendy Tamamilang came down with chicken pox.
