By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Alas Pilipinas men’s volleyball squad received a disappointing straight sets loss to Bahrain, 18-25, 23-25, 20-25, in the ongoing AVC Challenge Cup on June 4, 2024, at the Isa Sport City Hall in Bahrain.
With the loss, the PHL national volleyball men’s team will no longer have the chance to compete for a podium finish and will be relegated to the classification placement phase.
The home bets gave their fans a treat after taking down the higher-seeded Alas Pilipinas, catching them off guard in the first set with their tremendous quick plays in the middle.
Bahrain capitalized when they clinched the momentum of the game midway through the first set after scoring three straight backrow spike plays.
Despite the improved floor defense of Alas Pilipinas, Bahrain continued to find the gaps between the PHL coverage and ran away with an 18-25 win.
The Philippines had its biggest chance to win a set in the second frame when they managed to level the score at 21-all.
After trailing in the most part of the second set, back-to-back scores from Marck Espejo and Jau Umandal boosted Alas’ chances of stealing the set.
However, Bahrain countered back with their own two-point swing to retake the lead, 23-21. Alas’ Jade Disquitado gave them another hope after scoring off a crafty spike but the host country saved their best for last and blasted the final point with a cross-court kill.
In the third set, Alas tried to claw their way back after feeding Espejo whenever he was on the frontline but in the crucial stretch of the final seven game possessions, Bahrain once again re-captured momentum to advance in the next round of the AVC Cup.
Espejo and Kim Malabunga were Alas’ leading scorers with eight points each while Disquitado delivered six markers off the bench.
