YOGYAKARTA - Jakarta Garuda Jaya refused to surrender, making the competition for the 2026 Proliga three-time champion tighter and hotter. Garuda Jaya, who had previously suffered a 3-0 defeat, was able to rise to conquer Surabaya Samator through a five-set battle in the second leg. They won 3-2 in the duel at GOR Amongrogo, Yogyakarta, Wednesday, April 22, 2026, which made the two teams have to play the third leg which is the determination.
Garuda Jaya appeared different and showed an aggressive and tactical game to dampen Samator's offensiveness. Although he lost two sets after winning the first set, Garuda Jaya managed to turn the tide in the last two sets so that he won dramatically with a score of 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 19-25, 25-22, 15-13).
The result makes the aggregate of the two teams a draw 1-1. The determination of the three-time champion must continue to the life-and-death match in the last meeting on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
In that match, Garuda Jaya played at a high tempo. However, Samator who wanted to finish the second leg with a victory was also no less aggressive so that both teams were chasing points. After a draw 10-10, Garuda Jaya began to leave his rival to become 17-14.
Samator refused to surrender and caught up. Even Samator, led by Jordan Michael and Lyvan Taboada, briefly turned ahead 19-18. The tension peaked at the critical point 23-23. However, Garuda Jaya was finally able to overcome the pressure and seize the first set with a score of 25-23.
In the second set, Samator managed to bounce back even though Garuda Jaya still performed impressively. The team coached by Nur Widayanto even led 11-10. Only, Samator who came out of the pressure was able to catch up points and turn ahead at the end of the set. Samator closed this set with a score of 25-22.
Winning the second set made Samator's confidence increase in the third set. Although there was a long rally and a tie score of 16-16, Samator showed maturity at the end of the set. They sped away from Garuda Jaya to a score of 23-16 and ended the set with a convincing victory of 25-19.
In a position of being 2-1 behind, Garuda Jaya actually performed to the fullest. Although Samator offered resistance, Garuda Jaya remained focused on the critical point. The victory 25-22 in this set forced the match to continue to the deciding set.
The fifth set was very emotional. Garuda Jaya immediately stepped on the gas with a 5-3 lead. However, Samator who was full of experience managed to tie the score at 10-10.
In a tense situation, Garuda Jaya managed to maintain a one-point margin until it reached 14-13. The last shot that failed to be stopped by the opponent ensured a 15-13 victory for Garuda Jaya.
Responding to his team's victory, coach Nur Widayanto said that they performed better in the second leg. The team managed to minimize weaknesses, especially in receiving or receiving and serving. In addition, the rotation of players went well so that they could grab the last two sets.
"The rotation of players is going well. They can also improve shortcomings such as the service is no longer an error. The same goes for reception. If the reception goes well, then the game will get better," said Widayanto.
Widayanto, further, said that the victory made the team more confident when playing the third leg. He hopes the players can maintain their performance in the decisive match. The coach also emphasized the players' rest schedule so that they can return to their best in Thursday's match.
"For tomorrow's match preparation, yes, sleep," said Fauzan Nibras, one of Garuda Jaya's mainstays, responding to the coach's hope that the players would take advantage of the rest time.
"It must be admitted that this fight was really exciting and exhausting so that our energy was drained. So, we have to rest because there is still a decisive match," he said.
Meanwhile, Samator team manager Hadi Sampurno said the players had indeed been reminded not to be careless and vigilant. The reason is, the opposing team will improve themselves so that they can play better.
"We finally lost in the first set. Even though we won in the next two sets, we played less than maximum. In addition, our mainstay player, [I Ketut] Yudi was injured," said Hadi.
"On the other hand, Garuda Jaya is playing loose. We also often lose control at critical points because the children are less calm," he said. According to him, this is a material for evaluation when the team plays the decisive match.
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