Alas Pilipinas bowed out of contention in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Men following a rough 18-25, 23-25, 20-25 loss at the hands of home team Bahrain on Tuesday at midnight (Manila time) at the Isa Sport City Hall.
The Philippines ended the group stage winless with a 0-2 record in Pool A, while Bahrain (1-0) picked up an important debut win and will dispute the top seed with fellow pool leader China (1-0).
Just like in their straight-set loss to China yesterday, the Filipinos managed to keep in step with the Bahrainis early in each set, but it was not enough as the world No. 65 team found ways to fend off Alas Pilipinas for the sweep.
The Philippines came closest in the second frame when Marck Espejo scored off an emphatic backrow attack, which was followed by a Jau Umandal block on Mohamed Abdulla to tie the game at 21-all.
Bahrain answered with two consecutive points to take a 23-21 advantage, but Jade Disquitado responded with an off-speed drop to trim the lead back to one.
(c) AVC
Mahmood Alafyah hammered down an over-receive from the Philippines, pushing the Bahrainis to set point before Disquitado saved one with a backrow attack. Naser Anan then spiked one in, giving Bahrain a 2-0 advantage.
The Filipinos then failed to find their footing in the third, with Abdulla converting a searing pipe attack and Hasan Haider delivering a booming ace to place their squad at match point, 24-19.
A service error from Bahrain extended the match, but Sayed Hashem Ali immediately ended Alas Pilipinas’ hopes with an off-the-block hit.
(c) AVC
No player from the Philippines reached double digits, with Umandal scoring a team-high nine points in the one-hour, 20-minute contest.
Espejo added eight markers in the loss, while Kim Malabunga contributed eight as well. Disquitado provided a spark off the bench, scoring six points, while Leo Ordiales, who had 10 in the game against China, was limited to just two.
With the loss, Alas Pilipinas will head to the classification phase for the 9th-12th spots, where they will take on either Qatar or Indonesia on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Abdulla paced Bahrain with 15 points, while Ali Khamis added 11 in the victory.
