Asian Games: Philippines bows to Kazakhs in volleyball qualification

Phillippines’s Alyja Daphne Santiago spikes the ball against Indonesia during the women’s group A preliminary volleyball match between Indonesia and Philippines at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 25, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Juni Kriswanto

The Philippines fizzled out in the end and fell to Kazakhstan in five sets, 25-11, 22-25, 25-15, 19-25, 16-14, in the classification stage of the women’s volleyball competition in the 2018 Asian Games Friday at GBK Volley Indoor Stadium in Jakarta.

The highest position the Philippines can get in the event is the seventh spot, which the Filipinos will dispute against host Indonesia on Saturday.

After going on an early start in the fifth set leading 6-3, the Philippines lost its steam and went on a tit-for-tat with the Kazakhs up until the 14-14 tie.

That was when Alessya Safronova delivered a clutch crosscourt kill that gave Kazakhstan the 15-14 match point before a team block on Jaja Santiago ended the match.

Santiago put up the bigges fight for the Philippines with 19 points with Mylene Paat and Alyssa Valdez adding 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Yana Petrenko had 18 points for the Kazakhs who will face Vietnam for the fifth seed playoff.