j
THE Alas Pilipinas Men capped its 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games campaign with a stirring show of resolve, clawing back from two sets down to beat Vietnam, 23-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 16-14 and win the bronze medal on Friday.
The Nationals needed four match points in an extended fifth-set tiebreak before Lloyd Josafat’s ace drove the final nail on Vietnam's coffin in a thrilling match at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok.
READ: Rondina & Co. dethrone Thais for first SEAG beach volleyball gold
That ace from the veteran middle blocker capped his bronze-winning performance and a tournament-best 11-point game on six attacks, three blocks, and two aces.
Marck Espejo led the Nationals with a staggering 30 points, contributed by 25 attacks, three blocks and two aces.
Leo Ordiales added 20 points on 17 attacks, two aces and one block, while Bryan Bagunas turned in 19 points, powered by 14 attacks and five blocks.
The hard-fought reverse sweep sealed the country’s first indoor volleyball medal in the biennial meet since the program’s historic silver-medal run on home soil in 2019.
This also marks the first time in six years that the Philippines will bring home two SEA Games volleyball medals: a women’s beach volleyball gold and a men’s indoor volleyball bronze.
Alas Men in NSD mode
Alas Men never led in the opening set but kept it close despite struggling to erase recurring two-point deficits.
From 20-24 down, they managed to stave off three set points thanks to a Vietnam service error, a Marck Espejo attack and a Peng Taguibolos block.
However, a self-inflicted attack fault from Leo Ordiales, whose cross-court attempt sailed out, cut the Nationals’ late fightback short in the first frame.
The second set mirrored the tightness of the first. Trailing 16-19, Espejo sparked a 7-3 run put Alas ahead, 23-21. But consecutive attack faults from Espejo and Bryan Bagunas handed Vietnam a two-set advantage.
The two narrow set losses ignited a fire in Alas Men as they stormed through the third set, building a lead as large as seven at 22-15.
That momentum carried over into the fourth frame, with the Nationals transforming a 10-all deadlock into an 18-13 lead.
Even when that advantage shrank to two late in the set, Bagunas' veteran poise shone through andhe delivered an off-speed hit to close it out and force a fifth-set tiebreak.
In the fifth set, the Philippines held a slim lead for most of the way, expanding it to as much as 9-5 midway through.
Vietnam managed to save three match points with two attacks and a block by Josafat, tying the set at 14-all.
But a clutch Bagunas attack followed by a Josafat ace sealed a hard-fought bronze for Alas Men, capping a challenging SEA Games campaign that included back-to-back sweep losses to eventual finalists Thailand and Indonesia.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
