Alas falls to Thais in four sets

Alas Pilipinas absorbed a 25-17, 24-26, 20-25, 20-25 loss to regional powerhouse host Thailand at the start of the first leg of the 5th SEA V-League Friday at the Terminal 21 Korat in Nakhon Ratchasima.

The Filipinas failed to sustain their hot start and allowed the defending champion to regain its bearing to snatch the last three frames.

Eya Laure, Del Palomata and Fifi Sharma led Alas' fiery assault in the opening set where it held an 18-11 advantage. Angel Canino iced the frame as Alas went off to a good start.

It didn't last long though as the Thais erased Alas' 24-23 lead in the second set with three straights points off two crucial errors by the Filipinas.

Thailand, which missed the services of Chatchu-on Moksri, controlled the last two frames and kept the hard-fighting Alas at bay.

Alyssa Solomon, a two-time SEA V-League Best Opposite Hitter, led Alas with 20 points, while Canino got 16 markers.

Alas seeks to bounce back against Vietnam, which crushed Indonesia, 25-11, 25-11, 25-22 in its opener, on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.