international volleyball

Philippines outlasts Australia, reaches AVC battle for 5th

Rappler.com

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Philippines outlasts Australia, reaches AVC battle for 5th

GRIND-OUT MATCH. Michele Gumabao goes for a hit against Australia’s towering defense.

PNVF

The Philippines earns a chance to fight for fifth place after surviving Australia in a five-set thriller in the classification phase

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines stayed on track of securing its best finish in the 2022 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Cup for Women.

After missing a chance to advance to the semifinals, the Philippines bounced back against Australia in a five-set thriller, 21-25, 25-19, 19-25, 25-18, 15-12, in the classification phase on Sunday, August 28, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. 

Tots Carlos produced 26 points, including the match-clinching kill to close out the intense two-hour, 31-minute contest.

Jema Galanza also played big with 18 points and Ced Domingo had 3 blocks in an 18-point effort as the national women’s team advanced to a battle for fifth against Chinese Taipei at 1 pm on Monday, August 29. 

Chinese-Taipei earlier pulled off a 25-23, 25-19, 25-17 victory over Iran in in the other classification match. 

Another win would secure the Philippines its best finish in the tournament, where it placed ninth in its debut in the 2018 edition in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

“It was a lot of teamwork really,” said Philippine setter Jia de Guzman. “Everyone came together. Everyone did their roles. We really wanted it more this game.” 

Looking fatigued after losing to Thailand, 18-25, 25-23, 20-25, 9-25, in the quarterfinals late Saturday, the Philippines still showed steely resolve to prevail despite trailing 1-2 in sets.

“We have nothing to lose. They have gone through in those kind of situations before so they have experience,” said Philippine coach Sherwin Meneses. “I just told them to simply just enjoy the game and then limit your basic errors.”

The Philippines lost its receive in the opening set, allowing Australia to nail 6 aces and claim the upper hand.

Finally getting into the groove of things, the national women’s team was able to level in the second set but things didn’t go its way in the third, as the Volleyroos, with Caitlyn Tipping scattering 9 points, raced to a 14-3 advantage and weathered their foes’ late comeback to take the upper hand.

With the Philippines on the ropes, Galanza, Carlos, and Domingo joined forces in the fourth set to extend the match. 

Tipping eventually finished with 25 points, including 6 blocks and 5 service aces, while Stef Weiler and Rebecca Redgen chipped in 17 and 12 points, respectively, for Australia.

The Volleyroos will play the Iranians in the battle for seventh at 10 am on Monday.

Semifinalists Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Japan dispute the championship berths late Sunday. – Rappler.com 

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!