Alas Pilipinas falls to Indonesia, settles for another fifth-place playoff

3 hours ago

Alas Pilipinas' bid for a place in the medal round came to an end Friday as host Indonesia proved too strong once again.

The Filipinos absorbed a 25-18, 25-17, 23-25, 25-19 defeat in Pool A of the second leg of the 2026 SEA V Cup at the Jakarta International Velodrome, sending them to the fifth-place playoff for the second straight week.

Instead of advancing to the crossover semifinals, Alas Pilipinas will face Myanmar on Saturday in a familiar matchup after the two teams also met in last week's fifth-place classification game during the tournament's opening leg in Candon City, Ilocos Sur.

After struggling through the opening two sets, the Filipinos finally found their rhythm in the third behind the emergence of opposite hitter Lirick Mendoza.

Al-Bulkharie Sali sparked a crucial rally with a back-row attack before Joshua Magalaman delivered a timely block on Boy Arabi to secure a 25-23 set victory and breathe life into the Philippine side.

Any hopes of a comeback, however, were quickly extinguished.

Indonesia's bench stepped up in the fourth set as Luvi Nugraha and Sigit Ardian fueled the decisive run that restored the hosts' momentum and completed the four-set win.

Mendoza led Alas Pilipinas with 14 points, including 13 attacks and a block. Jude Garcia added 11 points, while Sali turned in his best performance of the tournament with eight points. Magalaman chipped in seven.

Indonesia was paced by Nugraha's 15-point performance, while Ahmad Gumilar dominated at the net with 13 points highlighted by eight attacks, four blocks, and an ace.

The setback followed Thursday's straight-set loss to defending first-leg champion Cambodia, leaving the Filipinos winless in Pool A.

Indonesia swept the group to book a crossover semifinal showdown against Vietnam, while Thailand and Cambodia will battle in the other semifinal.

Alas Pilipinas now shifts its focus to ending its campaign on a winning note when it meets Myanmar in the fifth-place playoff.