The Philippine men’s national volleyball team bowed out of medal contention after absorbing its second consecutive loss against host Cambodia, 18-25, 18-25, 17-25, in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games at the Indoor Main Hall of the Olympic Complex.
The Filipino spikers fell to 0-2 in Group A while Cambodia (2-0) punched its ticket to the semifinals along with defending champion Indonesia (2-0).
After dropping the first two sets, the Philippines looked like it was about to stage a comeback in the third after Jade Disquitado and Jay Rack Dela Noche hammered down consecutive hits to keep the game close, 8-12, early in the frame.
However, Mouen Meng Laiy answered back with back-to-back hits of his own which was followed by a Steve Rotter net violation which put the Cambodians ahead, 15-10.
The host country never looked back from there as they led by as much as seven points, 23-16, after Dela Noche tossed the ball outside before taking a 25-17 win to complete the sweep.
Cambodia also won its match-up against the Philippines via four sets in the previous edition in Vietnam, while the latter got the win at home in the 2019 SEA Games in Manila via sweep.
The Philippines will look to end its campaign on a high note against Singapore on Saturday at 5:00 PM.
