Alas Pilipinas girls lose chance to reach final of Thailand tilt

Alas Pilipinas girls during a game against Indonesia in the Princess Cup Women’s U18 Volleyball Championship in Thailand.–Photo from SMM Volleyball

MANILA, Philippines — Alas Pilipinas girls missed a chance to reach the 22nd Princess Cup Southeast Asian Under-18 Women’s Volleyball final after getting swept by Indonesia, 22-25, 18-25, 19-25, on Wednesday at Nakhon Pathom Gymnasium in Thailand.

The Indonesians were too much for the Filipino Spikers as they finished second in the preliminary round with a 4-1 record, forging a winner-take-all duel against host Thailand on Thursday.

The national youth team kept it close late in the opening set behind the efforts of Harlyn Serneche, Denesse Daylisan, and Avril Bron to cut it down to 22-24 but Azzahra Dwi Febyane delivered the set-clinching hit off the Filipino blockers to draw first blood.

READ: Alas Pilipinas girls bounce back, stay in title hunt

The Indonesians dominated the last two sets to book a trip to the final.

Alas, led by Kimberly Rubin, finished the preliminary with a 3-2 record in third place, battling the No.4 seed for the bronze medal on Thursday at 3 p.m. (Manila time).

Australia and Malaysia, tied at 3-1, were still disputing the fourth seed as of posting time, facing Singapore and unbeaten Thailand, respectively.

READ: Alas Pilipinas girls off to 2-0 start in Thailand tournament

The Philippines beat both squads in the prelims, following a 25-16, 25-23, 21-25, 25-19 win over Australia less than 24 hours ago.

Japanese coach Taka Minowa still has a chance to reach the podium in his debut stint as a national youth tactician for Alas.

Alas girls will also compete in the Asian Women’s U18 Volleyball Championship from June 16 to 23 at the same venue.