Alas Pilipinas ends SEA V Cup campaign on winning note, repeats fifth-place finish

4 hours ago

Alas Pilipinas finished its second-leg campaign in the 2025 SEA V Cup the same way it did the first—with a victory over Myanmar.

The Filipinos swept Myanmar, 28-26, 25-17, 25-23, on Saturday at the Jakarta International Velodrome in Indonesia to secure fifth place once again after recording the same finish in last week's opening leg in Candon, Ilocos Sur.

The result gave the national team a positive ending after a challenging tournament, with the toughest resistance coming right at the start.

Myanmar refused to back down in the opening set, stretching the battle into extra points and forcing the Philippines to work through four set-point opportunities.

Deadlocked at 26-all, Lirick Mendoza delivered the breakthrough with a blistering attack down the line before Htoo Bhone Myat Aung misfired on the next rally, handing Alas Pilipinas the crucial first set.

That breakthrough proved to be the turning point.

The Filipinos settled into their rhythm in the succeeding frames, strengthening their defense and executing more efficiently on offense to complete the straight-set triumph.

Mendoza once again led the charge with a match-high 21 points, fueled by 19 kills, a block, and a service ace.

Ramirez chipped in 11 points, while captain Lloyd Josafat anchored the net defense with nine points highlighted by three blocks.

Myanmar drew 10 points from Aung Myo Kyaw, but the Filipinos controlled the final two sets to comfortably close out the match.

The victory gave Alas Pilipinas consecutive fifth-place finishes in the SEA V Cup and valuable momentum as the national team continues its preparations for future international competitions.