ALAS Pilipinas Men saw their gold medal bid end one step short after absorbing a 20-25, 19-25, 21-25 semifinal loss to host Thailand in the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games on Thursday at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok.
Save for an early 1–0 Philippine lead in Set 2, it was all Thailand from opening whistle to final point, with little to no trace of the brave stand the Nationals mounted against the Asian powerhouse six years ago.
The only real resistance Alas Men mustered came late in the third set, when they clawed back from a 9–18 hole to close within 20–22, before a quick 3–1 Thai surge powered by their trademark kills shut the door and booked their place in the finals.
The host country’s perfect run in the tournament now extends to four matches, while also providing a measure of redemption for their semifinal heartbreak to the Filipinos six years ago in Pasig, when their bid for a fifth straight title was halted.
The Nationals’ hopes of securing their first SEA Games indoor volleyball medal in six years now rest on Friday’s bronze medal match, where they will face a Vietnam aide aiming to collect its third bronze in the last five editions of the competition.
Luckless Alas runs short
A red-hot Kissada Nilsawai had the Philippines on the back foot from the outset, spearheading a 5–1 opening burst to continue a trend he has established against the Nationals in regional play over the years.
Matters went from bad to worse for Alas Men in the second set, as Kissada and Co. unleashed an early 10–3 tear to set the tone for another commanding win.
Once again, the Filipinos struggled with self-inflicted wounds, surrendering nine unforced errors in the frame — many coming off faulty serves that proved to be their Achilles’ heel throughout the tournament.
Those issues persisted until the end, with Alas Men coughing up a costly 24 errors in their semifinal defeat.
Leo Ordiales turned in the game of his life, pouring in 25 points on 23 attacks and two aces to keep the Philippines within striking distance and injecting life into their late third-set comeback attempt.
However, with minimal support from the error-plagued duo of Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo, and only sporadic production from the middle through Lloyd Josafat, the near one-man show ultimately fell short even as Alas Men narrowly won the attacking battle, 42–40.
Off-nights from the Bagunas–Espejo duo were evident on the stat sheets, with Bagunas held to 11 points on 10-of-22 attacks, while Espejo struggled even more, scoring just five points from 16 attempts.
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