Alas Pilipinas dropped to the placement matches of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Men after a tough 18-25, 23-25, 20-25 loss to host team Bahrain at the Isa Sport City Hall on Tuesday at midnight (Manila time).
The Philippines finished the group stage winless with a 0-2 record in Pool A. Bahrain (1-0) secured an important debut win and will compete with China (1-0) for the top seed.
Similar to their straight-set defeat to China, the Filipinos stayed competitive early in each set but couldn’t sustain the momentum. Bahrain, ranked No. 65 in the world, capitalized on key moments to secure the sweep.
The closest battle occurred in the second set when Marck Espejo's backrow attack and Jau Umandal's block on Mohamed Abdulla tied the game at 21-all. However, Bahrain responded with a quick 23-21 lead. A strategic drop from Jade Disquitado cut the lead to one, but Mahmood Alafyah's spike and Naser Anan's attack sealed the set for Bahrain, giving them a 2-0 advantage.
In the third set, the Philippines struggled to keep pace. Abdulla's pipe attack and Hasan Haider's ace brought Bahrain to match point at 24-19. A service error from Bahrain extended the match briefly, but Sayed Hashem Ali's off-the-block hit ended Alas Pilipinas' hopes.
Umandal led the Philippines with nine points in the one-hour, 20-minute contest. Espejo and Kim Malabunga added eight points each, while Disquitado contributed six off the bench. Leo Ordiales, who scored ten against China, was held to just two points.
Alas Pilipinas will now compete in the classification phase for 9th-12th places, facing either Qatar or Indonesia on Wednesday.
For Bahrain, Abdulla led with 15 points, while Ali Khamis added 11 in the victory.
Photo from AVC
