Luke Dwi Putra Smith's Sweet Debut Wins Jakarta Pertamina Over Garuda Jaya

Jakarta Pertamina Pertama When facing Jakarta Garuda Jaya in Proliga, (Proliga)

YOGYAKARTA - Australian national team player of Indonesian descent Luke Dwi Putra Smith made a sweet debut with Jakarta Pertamina Pertamax in the 2024 PLN Mobile Proliga volleyball competition. In the first match at GOR Amonggrogo, Yogyakarta, Saturday, April 27, 2024, Pertamina Pertamax defeated Jakarta Garuda Jaya with a score of 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-15).

Dwi Putra Smith remains a foreign player despite having an Indonesian lineage. His first appearance was not disappointing.

Pertamina Pertamax performed prime and did not encounter any difficulties, meaning that they faced Garuda Jaya, who is the U-20 national team. This is Pertamina Pertamax's first victory in Proliga.

On the other hand, Garuda Jaya was the second defeat during the round in Yogyakarta. Previously, in the opening match of the competition, they lost to Jakarta LavAni Allobank Electric.

In that fight, Pertamina Pertamax appeared convincing. They always excel in the race for points before closing the first set.

Garuda Jaya had time to rise in the second set. However, Pertamina First remained unstoppable. They won the second and third sets.

Pertamina coach Yosvany Munoz Peres showed his satisfaction in winning the first match. Moreover, he stated that every match in the competition was a challenge that his team had to win.

"Every game is always challenging. So we have to keep our focus between players," said Peres.

"In the second set, we had difficulties. But we are 12 good players who can take turns playing," said the Brazilian coach.

Meanwhile, Dwi Putra Smith admitted that he liked playing in Indonesia. He enjoyed playing in Yogyakarta because of the presence of spectators who filled the GOR.

"I really enjoy a very energetic atmosphere in the match. The audience is also extraordinary. The energy from the audience is making the match energetic," said Dwi Putra Smith, who had no trouble adapting to the hot weather in Indonesia.

"My mother is from Indonesia. So I'm used to the weather here," said the Australian national team player.

Assistant coach of Garuda Jaya, Joni Sugiatno assessed that players made many mistakes themselves in this match. In fact, their game has decreased compared to against LavAni in the opening match on Thursday.

"Players lost a lot. In the second set, we were weak in the block, especially when the points were critical. "This is certainly very unfortunate," he said.