Alas Pilipinas Men absorbed their first setback in the 2025 Southeast Asia V.League, bowing to regional powerhouse Thailand in a tightly contested three-setter, 16-25, 22-25, 24-26, Thursday night at the Candon City Arena.
With key players Louie Ramirez and Owa Retamar still sidelined, the Filipinos found it difficult to match Thailand’s relentless pressure and composure, ultimately marking their fifth straight defeat against the Thai squad since the regional league’s inception in 2023.
The loss also meant that Alas was unable to avenge its earlier defeat at the hands of Thailand in the 2025 AVC Challenge Cup, where the Philippines was relegated to a 10th place classification match following a lopsided loss to the same squad.
Despite the loss, the Nationals showed flashes of resilience, particularly in the third set where they held a late 23-21 lead behind the efforts of the National University duo of Buds Buddin and Peng Taguibolos.
Buddin, who top-scored for the Philippines with 11 points off 10 attacks, momentarily gave Alas a 24-23 set point opportunity after making up for a service error by Kennedy Batas with a clutch out-of-system kill. However, a costly service error by Fil-American outside hitter Jackson Reed gave Thailand the lifeline it needed to complete a comeback.
Thailand’s veteran middle blocker Kissada Nilsawai, who tallied 14 points, and team captain Amornthep Khonhan took over from there, as they engineered the final push with consecutive hits, before Prasert Pinkaew delivered a crucial block on Buddin to close out the match.
Khonhan spearheaded Thailand’s offensive onslaught with a game-high 20 points on 18 attacks and chipped in six excellent digs. Supporting him were Phanram Anurak and Chaiwat Thungkham, who added eight markers apiece, as the Thais improved to 2-0 in the five-day regional meet.
Earlier, Thailand weathered a second-set comeback attempt by the Nationals. After trailing 18-20, Batas fired two successive hits to tie the set at 20-all. But the Thais quickly restored order with a 5-2 finishing kick, capped by back-to-back points from Phanram to take a commanding two-set lead.
Thailand also established dominance early in the opening set, turning a slim 15-12 edge into a 22-14 cushion off a 7-2 run, en route to a comfortable first-frame win.
For the Nationals, UAAP Season 87 MVP Kennedy Batas had a bright showing in limited minutes, contributing seven points, while Leo Ordiales—who previously erupted for 20 points in their tournament-opening win—was held to 10 markers.
Now at 1-1, Alas Pilipinas will look to regroup during their Friday rest day before returning to face winless Cambodia on Saturday, July 12, at 6:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, in the curtain-raiser, Vietnam notched its first win of the tournament with a convincing 25-23, 25-20, 25-21 sweep of SEA V.League debutant Cambodia.
After dropping their opener to the Philippines, Vietnam bounced back behind Nguyen Ngoc Thuan’s 22-point explosion anchored on 19 attacks and three blocks. Duy Tuyen Tran backed him up with 11 points from eight spikes and three rejections.
Despite falling to 0-2, Cambodia showed promise in their first major tournament since earning promotion by winning the 2024 SEA V.League Challenge. Mom Kuon finished with 16 points, while team captain Veasna Voeurn added 15.
