Indonesia's Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi qualified for the semifinals of the Men's Asian Champions League after defeating Kazakhstan's Zhaiyk 3:1 (25:19, 25:27, 25:19, 25:21) in the opening quarterfinal of the tournament in Pontianak, Indonesia. The hosts, whose ranks in the domestic league finals also included Martin Atanasov, justified their role as favorites, and the star trio of Noumory Keita, Rok Mozic, and Robertlandy Simon played a key role in the success. Jakarta Bhayangkara demonstrated higher class in attack and blocking, controlling the match for most of the time.
The only hesitation for the Indonesian team came in the second set when Zhaiyk managed to dramatically snatch the part 27:25. In the remaining three sets, however, the hosts set their pace and rightfully reached victory.
| Team | Attack | Block | Serve | Opponent Errors | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi | 55 | 9 | 5 | 31 | 100 |
| Zhaiyk | 44 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 86 |
The statistics clearly show the superiority of the Indonesian team, especially in blocking, where Bhayangkara finished with three times more points. The hosts were also significantly more effective in attack, and the star selection made the difference in the most crucial moments.
The top scorer in the match was the opposite hitter from Mali, Noumory Keita, who once again demonstrated why he is among the most dangerous scorers in world volleyball.
| Player | Position | Points | Attack | Block | Serve | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noumory Keita | Opposite | 28 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 28.81% |
| Rok Možič | Outside Hitter | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4.88% |
| Robertlandy Simón | Middle Blocker | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2.56% |
Keita was unstoppable in attack, Slovenian international Rok Možič brought stability in all elements, and legendary Cuban middle blocker Robertlandy Simón controlled the game at the net with his experience and class.
For Kazakhstan's Zhaiyk, Iranian international Amirhossein Esfandiar played the strongest match, trying to keep his team in the fight almost until the end.
| Player | Position | Points | Attack | Block | Serve | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amirhossein Esfandiar | Outside Hitter | 19 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 8.00% |
| Kempa | Outside Hitter | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 9.68% |
| Kadirkhanov | Middle Blocker | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -6.06% |
Iranian international Esfandiar showed his class and was Zhaik's most consistent player, but the support from the others proved insufficient against the powerful selection of the hosts.
Thus, Jakarta Bhayangkara advances to the semifinals of the tournament, where they will try to take another step towards a historic title and qualification for the 2026 Club World Championship.
photo:volleyballworld.com
