Female spikers eye victory in 2017 Pro Liga

Thu, April 6, 2017 / 07:41 am

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Volleyball player Mutiara of the Jakarta Pertamina Energi team poses for photographs with her fans after competing in the first leg of the 2017 Pro Liga volleyball national league at the Ken Arok Indoor Stadium in Malang, East Java, on Jan. 27. JP/Aman Rochman
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A Jakarta PGN Popsivo Polwan player falls and hits the A-board when chasing the ball during a match in Malang, East Java, on Jan. 28. JP/Aman Rochman
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Petro Kimia Gresik player Halley Dora Spelman smashes the ball while Jakarta PGN Popsivo Polwan players try to block it during a match on Jan. 28. Popsivo won 25-12, 17-25, 25-13,25-13,10-25 (3-2). JP/Aman Rochman
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The Jakarta BNI Taplus players are tricked by Jakarta Elektrik PLN players in the first leg match in Malang, East Java, on Jan. 29. JP/Aman Rochman
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The Bandung Bank BJB Pakuan players express their shock after their point was annulled by the referee during the Pro Liga first leg on Jan. 29. JP/Aman Rochman
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Aprilia Manganang of the Jakarta Elektrik PLN jumps to smash to Jakarta Pertamina Energi during the 2017 Pro Liga first leg on Jan. 29. JP/Aman Rochman
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Ball boys sit while watching the Petro Kimia Gresik players warm up before the match begins at the Pro Liga first leg on Jan. 29. JP/Aman Rochman
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Spectators sit and watch enthusiastically during the second leg of the women’s Pro Liga competition at Ken Arok Indoor Stadium in Malang, East Java, on March 18. JP/Aman Rochman
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Petro Kimia Gresik substitute players wait on the bench during a match at Ken Arok Indoor Stadium in Malang, East Java, on March 18. JP/Aman Rochman
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Aprilia Manganang of the Jakarta Elektrik PLN makes a phone call while crying after her team lost on March 18. JP/Aman Rochman
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Two players pray in between matches during the 2017 Pro Liga in Ken Arok Indoor Stadium in Malang, East Java, on March 18. JP/Aman Rochman

Loud music was heard from the outside of the Ken Arok Indoor Stadium in Malang, East Java. Volleyball fans, mostly male, lined up to buy a Rp 40,000 [US$3] ticket for the 2017 Pro Liga national volleyball league in March. Seven women’s teams competed at the event.

Malang hosted the first leg of the men’s and women’s team competition in January and the second leg in March. Each leg lasts three days and has always attracted a lot of fans to watch the matches.

However, the female players have become the spectators’ sweethearts not only because of their skills but also because of their beauty. Many male fans waited for hours at the stadium entrance for a chance to get the female players’ autographs or ask for photographs. The fans’ favorite players included Mutiara from the Jakarta Pertamina Energy team, Aprilia Manganang and Yolla from the Jakarta Elektrik PLN team and a few foreign players such as Halley Dora Spelman from the Petro Kimia Gresik team.

Three teams – the Jakarta Elektrik PLN, the Jakarta Pertamina Energi and the Jakarta Popsivo Polwan – have secured their berths for the final four. Another ticket was fought over by Petro Kimia Gresik and Bandung Bank BJB Pakuan. Petro eventually made it to the final four. The finals will take place in April in Surakarta, Central Java, and Bandung.

The volleyball league will also attract fans who support their favorite teams and players when they give their best shots for victory. [yan]