ALAS Pilipinas Men stumbled out of the gates in the 6th Men's SEA V.Cup, falling to a much-improved Cambodia side, 23-25, 30-28, 20-25, 25-22, 8-15, on Wednesday at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur.
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Not even the flashes of brilliance from a handful of newcomers led by La Salle middle blocker Josh Magalaman, who erupted for 21 points on 15 attacks, four blocks and two aces, were enough to carry the hosts through as Cambodia held its nerve in the deciding fifth set.
Also at the forefront of the defeat was five-time Spikers' Turf MVP Jude Garcia, who made his indoor national team debut for head coach Angiolino Frigoni with 20 points on 18 attacks, one block and one ace,
Almost a comeback
Alas Men looked poised to level the match after recovering from a first-set loss, building a 24-21 cushion in the second for three set points.
Cambodia, however, stormed back to erase all three, and a pair of costly Philippine errors even handed the visitors a chance to steal the frame at 25-24.
The Nationals weathered the scare in a gripping exchange that stretched deep into extended play.
After squandering four set points, Alas Men finally broke through on its fifth opportunity as captain Lloyd Josafat, one of the few holdovers from the original core, delivered a timely block to seal the 30-28 escape.
Having forced a decider by taking the fourth frame, 25-22, the hosts were left flat-footed as the visitors raced ahead early in the race to 15 with a 4-0 start and a lead that ballooned to eight, never looking back to complete the upset.
It was a result that stood in stark contrast to last year's tournament, when the Philippines swept both of its meetings against then-debutant Cambodia across the two legs of the competition.
A year later, the Cambodians returned as a far more seasoned squad and turned the tables on the hosts with a breakthrough victory.
The opening-day defeat immediately puts Alas Men on the back foot in the compact tournament ahead of a must-win pool play finale against Indonesia on Thursday for a spot in the semifinals.
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