Volleybelles battle Vietnam with semis hopes on line
SINGAPORE—The Philippine women’s volleyball team is in a do-or-die situation as it battles tough Vietnam today in the Southeast Asian Games at the OCBC Arena Hall 2 here.
At 1-1, the Philippines needs a win to fan its semifinals hopes but it must hurdle a tough foe in unbeaten Vietnam, which crushed the Filipinos’ tormentor, Indonesia (25-20, 25-20, 21-25, 16-25, 15-10).
A loss to the regional heavyweight would mean outright elimination.
As if the challenges weren’t as tough as they already are, the Philippines, coming off a victory over Malaysia, needs to win over Vietnam by a big margin because ties will be resolved by quotient system.
Only the top two teams from each group will march to the semifinals.
In men’s action, the Philippines is also facing a tough road ahead after it bowed to Burma (Myanmar), 25-16, 25-14, 35-33, late Thursday to fall to 1-1.
The Philippines is making its first SEA Games appearance since 2005 after infighting in the volleyball federation forced it to miss the past five editions.
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