Alas Pilipinas Men fall out of the top-3 in both legs of the 5th SEA V.League after absorbing a tough loss to Vietnam.
Alas Pilipinas Men crashed out of the 5th SEA V.League podium once again, falling to Vietnam, 25-23, 21-25, 25-17, 25-16, to end Leg 2 at the Jakarta International Velodrome on Sunday.
Alas Men, who had beaten Vietnam in three sets during Leg 1 in Candon, Ilocos Sur last week, struggled to find any rhythm after a narrow opening set loss where they failed to complete a comeback after a saving two set points.
From then on, the Philippines just looked a step too slow — including in the fourth set where Alas failed to sustain a strong start.
After tying the set at 9-all, Vietnam unleashed a finishing kick where they outscored Alas, 16-7, to end the match. Jade Disquitado led the way for Alas with 17 points, while Bud Buddin and Leo Ordiales were good for 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Alas Men thus finished Leg 2 with a 1-3 slate — which dropped them to a 4th place finish in the 5-team tournament.
The final placement of the podium will be determined after the match between hosts Indonesia and Leg 1 champions Thailand in the last game of the tournament.
Alas was out of the podium for the second leg in a row after finishing both legs last year as bronze medalists.
Alas Pilipinas Men are getting ready to test their mettle among the world’s best volleyball teams when the country hosts the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championships in September.