A MEDAL finish again proved elusive for Alas Pilipinas Women, who ran out of steam against Indonesia in a 26-28, 25-13, 28-30, 24-26 heartbreak in the bronze medal match of the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games women’s volleyball tournament on Monday at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok.
The loss extended a painful yet familiar trend for the Nationals, marking the fourth straight SEA Games in which their podium bid was halted by Indonesia in the battle for third since the 2019 edition in Manila.
Powered by national team veteran Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi's 26-point outburst, long a thorn in the Philippines’ side in regional play, Indonesia secured its ninth bronze medal in the last 10 SEA Games.
After sweeping its first three matches of the year, the Philippines lost its winning touch when it mattered most but still pushed Indonesia to the limit, with three of the four sets going the distance.
A tale of twists and turns
Alas Women came out firing and built a three-point cushion at 14-11 behind a 5-1 run, but Megawati and company quickly struck back with a blistering seven-point surge, exploiting the Nationals’ reception woes to flip a three-point deficit into an 18-14 advantage.
A late rally saw Eya Laure lift the Philippines to set point at 24-23, but the momentum ultimately swung Indonesia’s way as they delivered three clutch block points, two of them on Bella Belen, to close out the set.
The only truly dominant set of the match went to Alas Women, who came out firing with a 7-2 start and rode a series of mini-scoring runs, highlighted by three consecutive kill blocks from Angel Canino (14 points) and Alyssa Solomon (12 points) to tie the match with a 12-point set rout.
The final two sets mirrored the intensity of the opener, with extended runs from both sides and points trading beyond the 25-mark.
In the third set, Indonesia opened with a 7-2 surge before the Philippines countered with a 7-1 run to tie it at 12-all. The Nationals squandered two set points, allowing Indonesia to convert their third and move on the cusp of the podium.
The fourth set proved costly for the Philippines, as errors paved the way for a six-point Indonesian run to take a 13-8 lead.
Belen and Amie Provido (14 points, four blocks) helped draw the score to 20-all, but after erasing an Indonesian match point with a Belen attack, it was Solomon’s kill block that sealed the 11th SEA Games bronze for Indonesia and marked their fourth consecutive medal win over the Philippines.
Statistically, Alas Women held the edge in attacks, 54-48, were just one service ace shy of Indonesia’s output (5-6), matched them on blocks (17 each) and committed slightly fewer errors (26–27).
Yet, the key points went Indonesia’s way at crucial moments, leaving the Philippines to close an eventful year with a puzzling loss that raises more questions than answers on the program’s direction moving forward.
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