Alas Pilipinas Men will once again vie for fifth place in the second leg of the 2026 SEA V Cup after bowing to host Indonesia, 18-25, 17-25, 25-23, 19-25, on Friday at the Jakarta International Velodrome.
The defeat dropped the Filipinos to the fifth-place playoff, where they will face familiar foe Myanmar in a rematch of last week’s classification match during the tournament’s opening leg in Candon City, Ilocos Sur.
Despite falling behind by two sets, Alas Pilipinas refused to go down quietly. Led by an inspired performance from opposite hitter Lirick Mendoza, the Filipinos extended the match after grinding out a 25-23 victory in the third set.
Al-Bulkharie Sali sparked the late surge with a back-row attack before Joshua Magalaman delivered a timely block on Boy Arabi to seal the set and keep the Philippines’ hopes alive.
Indonesia Shuts Down Alas Pilipinas Comeback Bid
Indonesia, however, quickly regained its footing in the fourth frame. Backed by the strong showing of Luvi Nugraha and Sigit Ardian, the hosts pulled away to complete a perfect sweep of Pool A and book a place in the crossover semifinals.
The loss also capped a winless campaign for Alas Pilipinas in Pool A after opening the second leg with a straight-sets defeat to reigning Leg 1 champion Cambodia.
Mendoza finished with a team-high 14 points built on 13 attacks and a block, while Jude Garcia contributed 11 markers. Sali added 8 points in his best outing of the tournament, while Magalaman chipped in 7.
For Indonesia, Nugraha led all scorers with 15 points, while middle blocker Ahmad Gumilar tallied 13 points behind 8 attacks, 4 blocks, and an ace.
Indonesia advanced to the semifinals to face Vietnam, while Thailand and Cambodia will meet in the other crossover matchup. Meanwhile, Alas Pilipinas shifts its focus to Saturday’s clash against Myanmar as it aims to end its SEA V Cup campaign on a winning note.
