Misfiring throughout the match, the semis-bound Alas Pilipinas Men struggled to find their rhythm against Indonesia, falling in straight sets, 17-25, 25-27, 24-26, and finishing as the second seed in Pool B of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games on Tuesday at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Philippines seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed, with attacks and service attempts faltering early as they struggled to keep pace with the Indonesians, who capitalized on the miscues to sweep the group.
“We were focusing on this game, it’s not that we were not focusing. We just had some things that were not going well today, and I think it’s very evident that the serve was not going well,” said Alas head coach Angiolino Frigoni.
Frigoni noted that service errors proved costly, especially in the tight second and third sets, but he stressed he is far from disappointed with the squad and believes the team must now shift its focus to the upcoming semifinal campaign.
“We had the same problem against Myanmar, and I hope we get better with our service because without service, we lost 25–23 and 26–24. We were playing… I’m not disappointed at all with the team, except [for] some stupid mistakes we made, but it’s okay — that can happen,” added the Italian coach.
The Philippines showed flashes of improved play in the third set, where Marck Espejo even tied the score at 24-all with a cross-court hit, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to reverse the tide, as Rivan Nurmulki and Daffa Naufal Mauluddan delivered the finishing blows.
Still, Alas had already secured a spot in the semifinals after Myanmar fell to Indonesia and will face either defending champion Thailand or Vietnam in the next round.
This marks the country’s first semifinal appearance in the biennial meet since the Nationals’ historic silver-medal finish at the 2019 SEA Games in Manila.
Bryan Bagunas led the Philippines with 16 points, all from attacks. Espejo added nine, while Leo Ordiales contributed eight markers.
For Indonesia, Nurmulki spearheaded the offense with 22 points, including 10 in the third set, built on 19 attacks, two aces, and one block. Boy Arnez Arabi added 12 markers, and Daffa registered nine.
The semifinals will begin on Thursday.
