Philippines falls to Thailand in AVC quarterfinals, relegated to classification

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine women’s volleyball team put up valiant effort but saw Thailand nail a 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 25-9 win in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Asian Volleyball Confederation Cup for Women on Saturday, August 27, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

Michele Gumabao led the Filipinas with 13 points, while Tots Carlos and Celine Domingo added 12 and 8 points, respectively, in the loss.

Showing promise against Thailand, the Philippines even won a set over the undisputed Southeast Asian queens.

The Philippines capitalized on the Thais’ errors in the second set, with Gumabao and Domingo teaming up to maintain their lead before Galanza delivered the final kill that equalized the game at one set apiece.

Gumabao continued her offensive exploits in the third set as she launched back-to-back aces to give the Philippines an early 7-4 lead. 

But similar to the opening set, the Thais slowly picked up the tempo and erased the Philippines’ early advantage all thanks to Thanacha Sooksod and Chatchu-on Moksri. 

Thailand closed the third set with a 5-0 run and never looked back as it dominated the fourth salvo, where it went into the second technical timeout with a sizable 16-5 advantage.

Chatchu-on dropped 21 points, while Pimpichaya Kokram added 14 points for Thailand, which will face China in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, the Philippines will immediately plunge back to action as it faces Australia in a classification game on Sunday, August 28. – Rappler.com