The Philippine Superliga All Stars wrapped up their stint in the Thai-Denmark Super League with yet another loss, this time against Non-3BB Nakhonnont, 25-15, 25-11, 23-25, 25-15, Saturday at The Mall Bangkapi in Bangkok.
It was the third straight defeat in as many games by the Filipinos in the tough club competition that featured some of the finest club teams of Thailand and a guest team from Hong Kong.
The hastily formed PSL All Stars could not match the high-level game of the more established teams in the meet, which was used to gauge the country’s mettle against the best teams in the region.
Petron coach George Pascua said among the key factors in the Filipinos’ debacle was lack of defense against solid firepower of their opponents.
“Their experience of playing together eventually became major factor because we tend to lose our floor defense and can’t catch up with the speed of their balls,” said Pascua.
The only positive thing was that the PSL All Stars were able to display their firepower in short flurries during the match.
Against defending champion and league heavyweight Bangkok Glass, the Filipinos were able to steal the first set before dropping a 23-25, 25-11, 25-16, 25-9 decision.
In their second match against another former champion Idea Khonkaen, the Filipinos showed they can withstand spirited rallies and hold their defense, but they just couldn’t pull it off in long stretches. They eventually lost, 25-22, 25-22, 25-19.
“Our opponents are very consistent, we did our best given the time we had to prepare,” said Pascua. “But overall it’s still a good showing by our players. We are still proud of how we played.”
Cha Cruz, Maika Ortiz and Aby Maraño led the PSL All Stars against Non-3BB with nine points each.
The Philippines is hosting the Asian Volleyball Confederation Women’s Club Championships and the FIVB Women’s Club Championships later this year.