Jade Disquitado and Leo Ordiales joined forces to lead Alas Pilipinas Men past Cambodia, 25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 25-18, securing their first win in the second leg of the 2025 Southeast Asia V.League on Friday evening at the Jakarta International Velodrome in Indonesia.
The offensive prowess of the National University duo proved pivotal as the Nationals bounced back from a heartbreaking five-set loss to host Indonesia, 19-25, 25-19, 25-21, 22-25, 8-15, in their opening match of the second leg of the five-nation tournament.
With the victory, the Philippines improved to a 1-1 record, forging a two-way tie for third place with Vietnam.
It was a more composed and focused performance from Alas Men, who showed clear improvement from their Candon leg encounter against Cambodia — where they needed five grueling sets to pull off a win last Saturday, July 12.
Cambodia kept pace early, erasing a 10-6 deficit to level the opening set at 14-all. However, Disquitado and Peng Taguibolos keyed a crucial 7-2 run that gave the Nationals a 21-17 cushion.
A service ace from Taguibolos, followed by a running attack and a game-sealing block from Kim Malabunga, clinched the set and gave the Philippines an early lead in the match.
The Philippines faltered in the third set after back-to-back narrow wins, falling into an 8-16 hole. Still, the tandem of Ordiales and Louie Ramirez sparked a spirited comeback that trimmed the gap to just one, 22-23. But a clutch off-the-block kill by Mom Kuon and a costly service error from Ramirez allowed Cambodia to steal the set and stay alive.
Earlier, in the second frame, with the score tied at 14-all, Disquitado and Ordiales orchestrated a crucial 6-3 spurt to grab a 20-17 lead — one that Cambodia couldn’t erase — giving the Nationals a 2-0 set advantage.
In the opening set, the Philippines overcame a sluggish start with timely hits from Kim Malabunga, Buds Buddin, and a crosscourt winner from Ordiales to strike first blood in the match.
The win is expected to boost the confidence and morale of the Nationals as they brace for a crucial showdown against three-peat defending champion Thailand tomorrow at 5:00 PM.
Meanwhile, the loss dropped Cambodia to 0-3 in the standings, still searching for its first win in the tournament.
The team, which was promoted to the SEA V.League after winning the 2024 SEA V.League Challenge, will aim to finish strong when it takes on Indonesia tomorrow at 7:00 PM.
