THE Philippines’ hot start was not enough to outlast Southeast Asia queen Thailand as it absorbed a 18-25, 25-23, 20-25, 9-25 loss in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Cup for Women quarterfinals on Saturday at the PhilSports Arena.
Philippines vs Thailand AVC Cup quarterfinal recap
Although the host country fell short, the gallant stand was still a remarkable feat as it marked one of the few times the Philippines won a set against the Southeast Asian powerhouse.
"We tried to stick with Thailand for the first three sets, and we're really happy also very good for us yung makakuha ng isang set against malakas na Thailand," said team captain Jia De Guzman.
Michele Gumabao took charge in the second set victory with five points of her own to keep the Philippines in a back and forth battle with the Thais, before Jema Galanza closed the set with an off the block hit, 25-23.
After a close two sets, the Thais were able to find a match to Gumabao's six point outburst in the third frame in Thanacha Sooksod who delivered on cue with six of her own along with Moskri Chatchu-on to keep Thailand ahead with a two-set lead, 20-25.
The host country's grittiness was nowhere to be found in the fourth as it received a beating from the SEA Games gold medalist to end the match in a lopsided 9-25 fourth set victory.
Gumabao and Tots Carlos paced the hosts in the loss with 13 and 12 points each, while Jema Galanza was limited to only six points - her lowest output in the whole tournament.
Chatchu-on dropped 21 big points to schedule a semifinals clash with unbeaten and defending champions China tomorrow.
Kokram Pimpichaya chipped in 14 points, Sooksod added 12, while Pinsuwan Khatthalee had 10.
The loss relegated the Philippines to the classification stage with a clash against Australia at 1 p.m. Sunday.
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