Alas destroys young Indonesians

Alas Pilipinas notched its first win in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Men after dismantling the young guns of Indonesia, 25-23, 23-25, 25-14, 25-22, at the Isa Sport City Hall C in Manama, Bahrain early Thursday.

The Sergio Veloso-mentored squad now advances to the battle for ninth place against Thailand after bombing out of their title pursuit when it suffered straight-set losses to China and Bahrain in their Pool A campaign.

In contrast to the veteran group that reigned supreme in the three previous Southeast Asian Games, a young squad represented Indonesia this time. Their youngest player is only 16, while their oldest is 22 years old.

Setter Owa Retamar dictated the offense throughout the four sets, as his sharp tosses paved the way for veteran spiker Marck Espejo to finish with game-high 20 points from 17 attacks, two aces, and a block.

Retamar’s chemistry with Kim Malabunga, Jade Disquitado and Nico Almendras, who also produced double-digit scoring, proved to be effective as the Filipino squad unleashed its fury on the Indonesians.

Malabunga and Disquitado dished out 12 points apiece, while Almendras stamped his class despite coming off the bench in the third and fourth frame as he scattered nine attacks from his 10-point performance.

“We’re very happy with our team’s win. I hope in our next game we win against Thailand,” Malabunga said in an interview posted by Bahrain Volleyball on Instagram.

“We’re gonna improve our blocking and we’re gonna execute our transition.”

Alas Pilipinas sensed the urgency after barely escaping the Indonesians in the first frame and when it fell short of securing the second set due to Retamar’s crucial service error.

The Filipino squad pulled no punches early in the third set as they ended up establishing a comfortable 24-14 lead before Malabunga hammered down an attack for the set point.

Alas Pilipinas carried the momentum heading into the fourth set by creating a six-point gap before Indonesia’s Riski Yudi attempted to stage a comeback by launching a series of attacks to narrow the gap by two points.

Disquitado and Espejo, however, denied the Indonesian’s plot by whipping out attacks of their own, while Almendras sealed the set point later on.