PHILIPPINES suffered a late-game meltdown in the classification phase of the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup for Men, blowing a two-set lead against Mongolia, 25-17, 25-23, 23-25, 22-25, 12-15, on Friday evening (local time).
The Pinoy spikers looked headed for a repeat win over their Mongolian foes and a place in the battle for seventh place against Kazahkstan.
But the nationals lapsed into costly mistakes, including back-to-back service errors from Jau Umandal and Steven Rotter in the fifth-set tiebreak, which kept the door open for a great Mongolia comeback.
Instead of fighting for seventh place, the Philippines' final match will be a shot for ninth place against Chinese Taipei on Saturday, 12:30 p.m. local time.
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