Alas Pilipinas snatched a set but Thailand kept their perfect SEA V.League record with another masterful victory.
Alas Pilipinas couldn’t sustain their fighting form, dropping in four tough sets against SEA V.League queens Thailand, 22-25, 17-25, 26-24, 16-25, in Leg 2 of the tournament Saturday at the Ninh Binh Gymnasium in Vietnam.
The Philippines scored a breakthrough in set 3 when the Alas Women blemished Thailand thanks to the late heroics of Angel Canino. The La Salle star scored Alas’ last two points to win the extended set and force an extension.
However, Alas couldn’t sustain the momentum as a crucial 9-2 run in set 4 from Thailand all but sealed the outcome. The loss put Alas to 0-2 for the the second leg.
In the early goings of the match, Alas Pilipinas went toe-to-toe against the 8-time SEA V.League champions, capitalizing on Thailand’s errant service game.
Late in the opener, Alas was even within one, 23-22, after an off-the-block hit by Shaina Nitura.
But Thailand was able to regain its bearings just in time, scoring on back-to-back points to set the tone of the match.
With the win, Thailand extended its streak in the SEA V.League to an astounding 26 games. They have yet to lose in the zonal tournament.
In a repeat of the first leg, Alas Pilipinas will now gun for a podium finish against Indonesia on Sunday, August 10.