THE Alas Pilipinas men’s volleyball team groped for form and dropped a 19-25, 22-25, 22-25 loss to world No. 31 China yesterday in Pool A play of the AVC Challenge Cup for Men at the Isa Sport City Hall in Manama, Bahrain.
Outside hitter Jau Umandal and opposite spiker Leo Ordiales showed the way for Alas with 10 points apiece while skipper Marck Espejo tallied eight markers.
At stake in the tilt is a spot in the FIVB Men’s Challenger Cup set in July, a qualifying tournament for the prestigious FIVB Volleyball Nations League.
China outclassed the Philippines not only on offense but also in the middle, tallying a team total 43 attacks and five blocks. Alas only had 37 kills and two blocks.
“It’s a good match. I’m so happy with the team because we played with a strong (team like) China. We have three young players on the court and the guys played very well,” Alas coach Sergio Veloso said. “The score is not the same when you look at ‘oh 3-0 but the fight was good.
“This is the most important thing because as I told my players sometimes, we win but every time you need to learn and China gave us a good fight,” he added.
