Alas Pilipinas overcame a 1-2 disadvantage to claim a five-set victory, 20-25, 25-20, 16-25, 25-20, 15-10, over Indonesia in the second leg, securing back-to-back bronze finishes in the 2024 Southeast Asian V-League on Sunday in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
Jia De Guzman deployed her whole arsenal in the fifth set, leading a balanced offensive strike that left the Indonesians crumbling despite taking an early 2-1 set lead over the Filipinas.
With De Guzman steering the ship, Alas Pilipinas went on a red-hot 7-2 run, thanks to contributions from Alyssa Solomon, Jema Galanza, Sisi Rondina, and Fifi Sharma.
Junaida Santi kept Indonesia in the game, scoring on three consecutive cross-court attacks to close the gap to just two points.
Alas Pilipinas maintained its lead with Solomon, Rondina, De Guzman, and Cherry Nunag answering every attack from the Indonesians. They found themselves ahead, 12-10, late in the final frame.
Nunag delivered crucial finishing blows, including a block on Junaida, before Megawati Hangestri Pertiwi committed an attack error that put the Filipinas at match point.
Solomon, who was impressive throughout the game, sealed the victory with a down-the-line attack.
It was déjà vu for Alas Pilipinas as they lost their first two games against Vietnam and Thailand once again before edging out Indonesia in the final game to claim the bronze medal, mirroring what happened in the first leg.
