ALAS Pilipinas had Kazakhstan on the ropes after a marathon opening set, only to see its Asian Games hopes unravel in a match of razor-thin margins.
The Philippines fell to Kazakhstan, 29-27, 24-26, 23-25, 19-25, on Thursday at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium, dropping to 0-2 in Pool B and losing its chance to reach the quarterfinals.
READ: Angel Canino in sharp, fighting form in Alas loss to mighty China
Angel Canino again shouldered the early offensive load, as head coach Taka Minowa reshuffled his starting six following their loss to China.
Alas saved two Kazakh set points before Eya Laure converted the Filipinas’ fourth set point to steal the opener.
Kazakhstan then built seven-point cushions in the next two frames, even as Alas repeatedly fought back to within one late. Veteran winger Tatyana Nikitina had the answer each time, though, helping her side hold on and take both sets.
Much like in its loss to the Chinese, the Philippines lost its grip in the final set, as its opponent built up lead it could not recover from.
The loss sends China and Kazakhstan into the knockout stage before their final group match on Friday, while the Filipinas’ 0-2 record sends them to the classification stage.
With 14 teams competing this time compared to 11 in the 2018 Asiad, Alas will finish anywhere from ninth to 14th - its lowest-ever ranking after winding up eighth in Jakarta.
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