Alas Pilipinas Men had an encouraging start but were eventually dominated by host Indonesia in straight sets, 24-26, 11-25, 15-25, in the second leg of the 2024 Southeast Asia V.League on Friday at the UNY Sport Complex in Yogyakarta.
Coming off a bronze finish in the first leg, the Filipinos showed promise in the opener and pushed the Indonesians to a deuce.
Buds Buddin and Leo Ordiales scored on back-to-back attempts to tie the game at 23-all.
Angga Anggara then pushed Indonesia to set point with a down-the-line hit, but Daniel Pratama committed a service error, extending the set.
Anggara continued his momentum with a cross-court kill before Buddin’s push sailed out, giving the home squad a 1-0 lead.
Building on their close first-set victory, the Indonesians raced to a 16-7 lead in the second set after an ace from Anggara, then went on a 9-4 run to seize a 2-0 advantage.
It was a disastrous set for the Filipinos, who managed to convert only four attacks, while the opposing side tallied 13 attacks, seven big kill blocks, and four aces.
With Alas Pilipinas clearly demoralized, Indonesia easily dismantled them in the third set. Farhan Halim delivered a kill that gave Indonesia a 10-point lead at 21-11, from which the Filipinos never recovered.
The Philippines (0-1) will face reigning champion Thailand (1-0) tomorrow, Saturday, at the same venue at 8:00 PM, hoping to bounce back from the deflating loss.
