ALAS Pilipinas Men suffered the same heartbreak in Jakarta, sliding to fourth place in Leg 2 of the 2025 SEA V.League after a 23-25, 25-21, 17-25, 16-25 loss to Vietnam on Sunday.
An all-National U trio led the Philippines on offense, with Jade Disquitado posting a team-high 17 points.
READ: Alas Men blow two-set lead in SEA V.League loss to Thailand
Buds Buddin pitched in 13 markers ahead of the tournament’s reigning best opposite hitter Leo Ordiales with 12.
The nationals end their final tournament before the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship this September without a medal on hand as they miss the podium in both legs of the regional meet.
Unlike the first leg in which Alas won twice, the nationals only managed to win one game in the second leg against tournament debutant Cambodia in five sets.
As such, this is also the first time since the inaugural SEA V.League in 2023 that the Philippines crashed out of the podium places.
On the flip side, Vietnam's win over the Philippines has assured them a top three finish as they await the outcome of the tournament finale between Indonesia and three-time defending champion Thailand tonight.
They also gained a measure of redemption on Alas Men after getting beat in straight sets during the Candon City leg two weeks ago.
Led by star spiker Ngoc Thuan Nguyen, Vietnam broke away from a 9-all deadlock in the fourth set with a 9-4 blitz to deny the Philippines' last push for sudden death.
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