Bulgarian international Martin Atanasov and his Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi started the final series in the men's Proliga 2026 with a defeat, after losing to Jakarta LavAni Livin Transmedia 3-1 (25:22, 22:25, 25:16, 25:18) in Yogyakarta.
The match offered a high level and a serious battle, but in the crucial moments, LavAni, whose coach is former USA international David Lee, showed greater stability, especially in blocking and attacking. After an even start and exchanged sets, Bhayangkara failed to maintain their level in the third and fourth sets, where LavAni set the pace and applied pressure with serve and block, which proved decisive. The last point of the match also came after a block.
The top scorer in the match was Iranian Bardia Saadat with 23 points for Bhayangkara, but even that was not enough for success. Martin Atanasov added 9 points, showing fluctuations in his effectiveness against the opponent's well-organized block.
For the winners, former American international Taylor Sander scored 20 points, and German Georg Grozer contributed another 14 for the final success.
The second match of the final series is tomorrow, and for Bhayangkara and Martin Atanasov, there is no room for error – another defeat will mean losing the Proliga 2026 title.