Both setter Owa Retamar and coach Angiolino Frigoni agreed that misfiring serves were the main culprit in Alas Pilipinas Men’s straight-set defeat to Indonesia in the 2025 SEA Games men’s indoor volleyball match.
What ultimately undid Alas Pilipinas Men against Indonesia wasn’t a lack of fight or firepower — it was their poor serve.
Time and again, miscues from the service line stalled the Nationals’ momentum, a costly flaw that loomed large in their 17-25, 25-27, 24-26 loss to the Southeast Asian powerhouse in their Group B finale on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
[ALSO READ: Alas Pilipinas Men’s late run not enough to topple champion Indonesia in SEA Games 2025]
For head coach Angiolino Frigoni, the issue was impossible to ignore.
“There are some things that are not going well, and today it was very evident that our serve is not going well,” Frigoni told reporters afterwards.
Setter Owa Retamar echoed the same frustration, pointing to service errors that prevented Alas from finding any sustained rhythm, even as the match wore on.
“Dami lang talagang naging errors from the service [line], kaya nahirapan kaming mag-adjust hanggang sa third set, kaya mas lumalayo sila sa ’min,” he admitted.
The struggle was particularly stark given how the team’s service had looked in training.
“During training, sinasabi ni coach sa ’min na maganda ’yung service namin, na mataas ’yung percentage. Pero pagdating sa game, parati kaming negative sa serve,” the former NU standout added.
For Retamar, the takeaway moving forward is clear — the serve must improve.
“Kailangan lang talaga naming paganahin ’yung serve namin. Kailangan pa talaga naming i-work ’yun para kahit papaano makasabay kami sa kanila,” he said.
Frigoni was just as direct, noting that “we have to get back our serve, and that was the important point for today.”
Silver lining
Despite the loss, Alas Men are still moving on to the crossover semifinals, where they will face the winner of the Group A match between Vietnam and Thailand. After a day of rest, the Nationals will be back in action Thursday, Dec. 18.
[ALSO READ: SCHEDULE | Alas Pilipinas compete at SEA Games 2025 volleyball]
Retamar also pointed out some positives from the game.
“Nakita namin na halos sa efficiency sa attack, halos pareho lang kami [ng Indonesia], and ‘yung transition medyo nakakalamang pa kami kapag nakakaangat kami ng bola,” he said.
“Syempre, ibang story naman ‘yun kasi semis at iba ‘yung pressure, pero ready naman kami doon,” the 23-year-old vowed.
[With reports from Ryan Audencial/Cignal]
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.