Hillstate coach Kang Sung Hyung felt bitter about being beaten by Red Sparks who relied on Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi and Vanja Bukilic.
Sung Hyung’s team experienced two failures to gain momentum because of the greatness of Megawati and Bukilic. The first was when they were leading 24-19 in the second set. The Red Sparks then came back and Hillstate lost 27-29. Meanwhile the second was in the fifth set, but they lost again 13-15.
Sung Hyung admitted that the presence of Megawati and Bukilic at Red Sparks was a problem for his player.
“The second set was the deciding factor, but it was unlucky. The opponent’s momentum and their attacks were so good,” said Sung Hyung.
“I felt it again, Megawati-Bukilic’s one-two attack was really powerful. We may be strong in the middle, but we are weak at the edges, so we had difficulty defending,” explained Sung Hyung.
The tragic defeat in the second set, after leading 24-19 and losing 27-29, admitted that Sung Hyung shook his team.
“In the first set, we were able to do what we wanted well, so the flow went well, but losing after taking the lead in the second set presented problems,” he said.
In facing Red Sparks, Sung Hyung revealed a strategy to exploit Bukilic as a receiver. It didn’t go smoothly because the reception of the Serbian players was very good. Sung Hyung also praised Bukilic for appearing strong and Megawati for having no less good abilities.
“Bukilic is good at receiving the ball, but I wanted to beat her. At the end of the match, a lot of points came from Mega. She has good abilities. I focused on blocking, but I understood I couldn’t win by playing defensively,” She explained.
Megawati admitted that she did not know about the number of points she contributed in the fifth set when she beat Hillstate. The Indonesian Women’s National Volleyball Team member was said to have been shocked when he was told he had scored 10 points.
