Coming off a dominant win against host Cambodia, the Philippine women’s national volleyball team was given a reality check by Vietnam, losing 20-25, 17-25, 19-25 in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games at the Indoor Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday night.
The Philippines dropped to an even 1-1 slate in Group B while Vietnam virtually clinched its spot in the next round.
The Filipinas will need to defeat Singapore tomorrow to punch their ticket to the crossover semifinals. The Singaporeans (1-0) are facing Cambodia (0-1) as of publishing.
The last time the Philippines and Cambodia faced off was back in the 2022 AVC Cup for Women, absorbing a gallant 19-25, 17-25, 29-31 defeat in Pasig.
This time around, the team composed of PVL stars had a strong start but faded.
After trailing for most of the first set, the Filipinas committed a string of attack errors that turned a 20-all deadlock into a 23-20 advantage for the Vietnamese. Trần Thị Thanh Thúy then converted a backrow attack, and Thi Xuan Doan blocked Kat Tolentino to give Vietnam the set.
In the second set, Vietnam led by as much as seven points, 22-15, after a T4 down-the-line hit that pushed the Philippines to a 0-2 set disadvantage, bringing them to the brink of defeat.
The Filipinas trailed significantly in the third set but managed to reduce an 11-17 disadvantage to just two points, 18-20, thanks to Mylene Paat and Tots Carlos. Unfortunately, it was not enough as Vietnam went on to secure its spot in the semifinals.
