ALAS Pilipinas Men paid dearly for their mistakes in a 16-25, 25-27, 22-25 loss to Korea on Sunday, undone by 23 errors against the highest-ranked team in Pool D of the Asian Games.
The Philippines gave away 23 points through errors, including 13 from the service line, as the world No. 25 side capitalized on all those miscues to complete the sweep.
Alas Men struggled from the outset, committing 10 errors in the opening set alone, including five missed serves. The Koreans took advantage to pull away early and put the Filipinos in an immediate hole.
The Nationals responded with a much tighter second set, controlling most of the frame before Korea strung together three straight points to take its first lead at 21-20.
Alas Men still had its chances to level the match, earning two set points behind Bryan Bagunas.
But neither was converted, and the Koreans eventually moved to set point at 26-25 after Bagunas committed an attack error. Leo Ordiales then followed with an miscue of his own, handing Korea the set, 27-25, as well as a 2-0 lead.
The Philippines continued to push in the third, but could not extend the match, with its foe closing out the win at 25-22.
Despite the loss, Bagunas made a strong return to the national team with 15 points, flanked by La Salle middle blocker Josh Magalaman with 13 markers and Ordiales' 11.
Alas Men also held a 10-5 advantage in blocks, but one too many miscues proved costly against the regional powerhouse.
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