Alas Pilipinas showed improvement from their last encounter but still fell to the six-time Southeast Asia V-League champion and host team Thailand, 18-25, 23-25, 16-25, in their second leg opener on Friday in Nakhon Ratchasima.
The Thais, who have yet to lose in the tournament’s history, extended their winning streak to 19 games.
In the first leg, Thailand dominated the Philippines, 25-12, 25-18, 25-10.
With the regional powerhouse at set point in the second set, 24-21, Thea Gagate and Alyssa Solomon delivered back-to-back points with a quick swipe and an ace to close the gap.
However, reigning Most Valuable Player Chatchu-on Moksri remained calm and collected, scoring a through-the-block kill to secure a 2-0 set lead for Thailand.
Coming off a big win against Indonesia to finish the first leg in third place, the Nationals started the second leg with a 0-1 record.
Alas Pilipinas head coach Jorge de Brito made adjustments to his lineup, bringing in Julia Coronel and Faith Nisperos in place of the last leg’s Best Setter Jia De Guzman and Best Opposite Alyssa Solomon.
Alas Pilipinas will face Vietnam tomorrow at 4 p.m. before concluding the leg on Sunday against Indonesia.
