By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Rebisco men’s volleyball team will have no chance to compete for the 2021 Asian Club Volleyball Championship title after falling at the hands of Qatari club Al-Arabi.
Eager to get the job done, the Filipino spikers showed will and fought valiantly but couldn’t withstand the power of Al-Arabi as they got smothered in three straight sets, 25-19, 25-15, 25-19.
Rebisco’s loss to Al-Arabi knocked them out of the tournament after absorbing their third straight defeat in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
Despite the absence of two of their best players Marck Espejo and Bryan Bagunas who are currently in Japan playing as imports, the Filipinos showed they can still keep up with the pace of the other clubs.
Jao Umandal became Rebisco’s focal point on offense as he led the squad with 17 huge points, backstopped by JP Bugaoan with seven and John Vic De Guzman with five.
Although out of title contention, the Filipinos will still have the chance to finish the tournament on a high note if they sweep their remaining games.
If they will manage to pull off a win, Rebisco will be placed in the classification round for fifth to eighth place.
If they lose, Rebisco will be relegated to the classification match schedule for ninth and tenth place, the last two spots in the tournament.
