Manila, Philippines–The Philippine women’s squad put up a gallant third-set stand but fell to Thailand, 25-16, 25-22, 34-32, in their preliminary round match in the 30th Southeast Asian Games on Thursday night at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Thailand had to weather a blistering Philippine storm in the third set when the Filipinos rallied from 24-19 down, saving set point after set point before stars Pimpichaya Kokram and Wilavan Apinyapong ultimately sealed the victory.
“We lacked communication at the start. But when we started just enjoying the game, everything went smoothly and we started executing,” said young stalwart Eya Laure.
The Thai stamped their world-rated game early on, cooking up combination plays and quick kills that befuddled the Philippines’ defense. The Filipinos made the Thais work a bit in the second set but still fell there.
Despite trailing by two sets and down big in the third, the Filipinos never backed down, holding off defeat and entertaining a boisterous crowd with a gallant stand.
“We didn’t look at the score,” Laure said. “We all agreed that we’ll still continue to fight until the end of the game.”
Already eliminated from gold medal contention, the Philippines will next play Indonesia, also winless in two games, on Saturday, which could be a preview of the bronze medal match. With a report from Mac Dionisio