THE Philippine men’s volleyball team started off on the wrong foot in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games after absorbing a 18-25, 18-25, 23-25 loss at the hands of Indonesia on Wednesday at Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Philippines vs Indonesia SEA Games men's volleyball recap
Spikers' Turf MVP Jau Umandal and newest Fil-Am recruit Steve Rotter led the Philippines' late-game rally to give the squad a chance to extend the match after being down two sets to none, but their efforts fell short against the defending champions.
The Nationals in their first match under new Brazilian head coach Sergio Veloso pulled off a strong start in the third frame and took a slim lead from the reigning champions, 11-10.
But the Indonesian spikers proved its resiliency and retook the lead riding a 11-6 run, 17-21. Both teams exchanged fiery attacks until a Rotter down the line and a dump from team captain Vince Mangulabnan put the squad within striking distance, 21-23.
Angil Anggara put Indonesia at match point, 21-24, with an off the block hit but a backrow kill from Umandal and an attack error from Fahri Putratama kept the Philippines alive, 23-24.
The Philippine had the chance to extend the match but Putratama made up for his costly error in the last sequence with a sharp crosscourt hit to give Indonesia its first win in Group A.
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