Alas Pilipinas succumbed to Bahrain in three sets, 18-25, 23-25, 20-25, to cap off its short-lived campaign in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for men at the Isa Sports City Hall C in Bahrain early Tuesday morning (Manila time).
Jau Umandal spearheaded the squad with nine markers from seven attacks and two blocks in their second consecutive loss in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Kim Malabunga and Marck Espejo's eight points apiece, along with Jade Disquitado's six-point performance after coming off the bench in the last two frames are not enough to propel Philippines to victory.
The Philippine squad now shoots for 9th place in a classification match where they will face the losing team between Indonesia and Qatar in Pool C on Wednesday.
On the other hand, host country Bahrain, who finished silver in last year's edition of the tournament, now secured its quarterfinal seat after recovering from errors in the third set to escape Alas Men who were closely trailing behind.