Alas Pilipinas Men settled for fourth place for the second straight leg of the 5th Southeast Asia V.League after falling to Vietnam, 23-25, 25-21, 17-25, 16-25, on Sunday night at the Jakarta International Velodrome.
The Philippines concluded the second leg of the annual regional tournament with a 1-3 record, finishing just above winless Cambodia.
The victory served as sweet revenge for Vietnam, which previously suffered a straight-sets loss to the Philippines in the first leg held in Candon, Ilocos Sur (17-25, 23-25, 19-25).
Before this defeat, Alas Pilipinas had won three consecutive matches against Vietnam in the SEA V.League dating back to the first leg of the 2024 edition.
After narrowly dropping the opening set, the Philippines rallied behind the efforts of Jade Disquitado, Michaelo Buddin, and Kennedy Batas to equalize the match with a 25-21 second-set win.
However, Vietnam came in with laser-sharp focus, knowing a podium finish was within reach. Holding a slim 12-11 lead in the third frame, the Vietnamese pulled away with a decisive 13-6 run to seize the set, 25-17.
Vietnam then unleashed a mid-set scoring barrage in the fourth, building an insurmountable lead that left the Philippines unable to recover, ultimately securing another fourth-place finish for the Filipinos.
Vietnam, now assured of a podium finish, is hoping for an Indonesia victory over Thailand to clinch the silver medal.
