Playoff-seeking Alas falls to Indonesia, misses SEA V.Cup semis

Determined to claw their way back to the winning path, Alas Pilipinas Men went the extra mile yet failed to overcome a tough Indonesia task as they suffered their second loss in the 6th SEA V.Cup Pool A and missed out a semifinals spot via a 20–25, 23–25, 25–27 loss at Candon City Arena, Ilocos Sur, July 17.

The recent defeat concludes their pool phase campaign, garnering an excruciating 0–2 win-loss record.

Desperate to secure a much-needed triumph, Alas Men gained a crucial 17–12 lead in the third frame yet failed to sustain it as the defending champions immediately clawed their way back to close it out.

The Filipino spikers had one last stand in them with a 23–21 lead, but they squandered their advantage once again as an Ahmad Gumilar spike and a Jude Garcia mishap sealed Alas’ disheartening fate. 

It was the different storyline yet same ending in the second set, as the Pinoy bets chipped away at the tough deficit with 23–24 off an Indonesian service error and a Josh Magalaman attack.

Yet it was Indonesia’s Sigit Ardian who slammed the doors on the Philippines as he fired an off-the-block attack to widen the gap into a 2–0 set cushion.

Alas rookie Magalaman led the charge once again with 13 points on eight attacks and five blocks, while Garcia registered 10 markers off nine attacks and one block for the Filipinos.

The Nationals’ underwhelming performance in the annual meet was due to the absence of their star players in Bryan Bagunas, Leo Ordiales, and Marck Espejo.

With the Philippines missing out on Final Four contention, they are now relegated to the fifth-place match and are set to clash off against Myanmar—fresh from an 18–25, 23–25, 19–25 straight-set loss against Vietnam.