Aprilia-Amalia connection give Garuda 3r-1 win on 

Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, July 16, 2018 – Indonesia’s Garuda bounced back from their opening set loss, to win 3-1 against Iran’s Paykan (23-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-18) on Monday afternoon at the SMM 2018 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship in Boris Alexandrov Palace.

Aprilia Manganan (28 points) and captain Amalia Nabila (17 points) commanded the Indonesian club’s offense as the top scorers for the team. Paykan captain Maedeh Borhani scored 19 points as the second best on the board.

Garuda coach Muhammad Ansori said “This match serves as a good preparation for our team for the Asian Games. I think we played well with our attack today, but we still need to improve on our reception and service.”

Paykan settled into an 8-6 lead at the first technical time-out, with Borhani and Mahsa Kadkhoda taking care of the swings. Garuda kept within pace and gained their points from Aprilia and Amalia. The Indonesia club served up an ace to take the lead at 17-16. Teams took the set into a close contest, but Garuda suffered from back-to-back errors which led to Paykan’s 25-23 win in the first set.

Teams continued to exchange points in the second set, showing nearly equal skill and capacity to take control of the match. Setters from both teams tried to run their plays faster: Garuda shifted quickly to their wing, while Paykan tried to use the pipe. The Indonesia club took a slim 16-15 lead at the second TTO after a rally was settled by Amalia’s backline attack. The Iran club sought good advantage in their middle attack with Tahmineh Dargazani but Garuda showed good, precise swings from the left side, for the 25-20 win in the second set.

In the third set, Garuda displayed a slight advantage over their opponents. They played better defense, and showed composure and patience in running their counter-attacks. The Indonesia club went to a 16-12 lead at the second TTO. Amalia and Aprilia remained fearless from the wing while Wilda Sugandi took care of the middle. Paykan slowly built their way back, with Kadkhoda’s service winner equalizing at 22-22. Garuda protected their lead and finished off the third set at 25-22 with Aprilia’s swing from the left flank.

By the fourth set, the Indonesian side looked sustain their momentum as they settled into a 13-7 advantage. Meanwhile, Paykan relied on their main hitters, and tried to inch closer. However, they suffered from crucial errors and could not entirely stage a solid comeback. Garuda continued to send their plays to Aprilia, to help take 25-18 in the final set.