A bit of a reality check for Alas Pilipinas Men after suffering a four-set loss against two-time SEA V.League champion Indonesia.
Not this time around.
Alas Pilipinas failed to capitalize on a strong start and ended up dropping a four-set loss to two-time defending SEA V.League champion Indonesia, 25-23, 19-25, 11-25, and 21-25 Saturday, August 17, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
After a monumental opening win against Vietnam, Alas Pilipinas Men were were dealt with a tough reality check in the four-nation joust.
Ranked no. 53 in the world, Indonesia flexed their blocking supremacy in the fourth set to take an early 11-6 lead.
Not to fold, Alas Men came within striking distance at 14-16 after a Kim Malabunga attack, but the Indonesians were quick to restore order, building a 20-15 lead towards the homestretch.
More than the loss, a cause for concern for Alas Pilipinas is the status of star hitter Bryan Bagunas. Bagunas suffered an apparent knee injury during his last serve of the game, which Indonesia ended up returning to win the match point.
Bagunas led Alas with 17 points—all from attacks— while Buds Buddin chipped in 16 points, and Malabunga added seven markers, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Indonesia's dominance.
Meanwhile, Fahri Septian Putrama led the Indonesian side with 21 points, while Halim Fahran and Hendra Kurniawan added 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Alas Mena aim to bounce back tomorrow, August 18 at 6:00 p.m. against Thailand (2-0) in their quest to finish at the podium for the first time in the V.League history.