MANILA – Suffering two consecutive defeats in the classification round, the Philippines settled for eighth place in women’s volleyball of the 18th Asian Games.
The Filipinas managed to snatch a set but still fell to host Indonesians 17-25, 25-23, 19-25, 20-25 who banked on powerful hits from Aprilia Santini Manganang on Saturday in Jakarta.
The Philippines struggled early in the match, allowing Indonesia to pull away by as much as 8 points for an easy win. They fought back in the second frame behind Dindin Santiago-Manabat and Kim Fajardo.
Indonesia responded with a strong 10-2 start in the third set – primarily on attacks by Manganang – to surge to a 2-1 set lead before recovering from a 7-11 deficit in the fourth frame to run away with the triumph.
A day prior, the Philippines under head coach Ceseal delos Santos nearly scored an upset if not for two costly miscues on their part to bow to Kazakhstan 15-25, 25-22, 15-25, 25-19, 16-14.
After losing the opening set, the Philippines bounced back in the second set behind solid execution from setter Julia Morado. Jaja Santiago clinched the set for the Filipinas with late hits.
The Philippines recovered after being pounded by Kazakhstan in the third set with a 16-7 opening in the fourth frame behind Maika Ortiz, Alyssa Valdez and Mylene Paat – and forced a deciding set.
In the fifth frame, the Philippines surged to a 7-2 start before allowing the Kazakhs to keep the set close 14-all. The Filipinas then fell prey to quick hits from Kazakhstan in the last two possessions and suffered the bitter loss.
Still, the eighth-place finish was a huge achievement for the Philippines, which joined women’s volleyball for the first time in 36 years./PN
