The Philippine women's volleyball team settled for an eighth-place finish in the 2018 Asian Games as Indonesia took home a 25-17, 23-25, 25-19, 25-20 victory Saturday in Jakarta.
The Philippines failed to avenge its four-set loss to the hosts back in the preliminary round, where Indonesian star Aprilia Manganang torched the Filipinas with 28 points.
This time around, Manganang finished with 19 points off 16 attacks and three blocks. Her sister, Amasya Manganang, also proved to be a thorn in the Philippines' side, finishing with eight points including crucial ones in the third and fourth periods.
Mylene Paat continued to shine as she delivered ten points all from spikes. Alyssa Valdez registered nine points, seven receptions, and five digs, while skipper Aby Maraño tallied four kills and two aces.
The Indonesians pulled away early in the opening period. The Philippines tried to catch up using middle blockers Maraño and Maika Ortiz as focal points on offense. The two combined for seven points in Set 1 but Indonesia stayed on top to draw first blood.
It was the Philippines' turn to get going early in the second frame. Indonesia erased a four-point deficit to force a 9-all tie, then temporarily snatched the lead before a tight back-and-forth action ensued. From a 19-all deadlock, a series of errors from Indonesia paved the way for the Philippines to knot the match at one set apiece.
Eager to quickly bounce back, the Indonesians rolled to an 8-1 start in Set 3. Paat and Valdez took charge to bring the Philippines closer, 15-18. But the Manganang sisters conspired down the stretch to crush the Filipinas' comeback attempts.
The Manganang duo continued their onslaught in the fourth to ensure a seventh-place finish for Indonesia, which established an overwhelming 54-33 edge in attack points throughout the game.
The Filipinas capped off their Asiad campaign with four straight losses (six overall), including a quarterfinal beating at the hands of Olympic champions China and a heartbreaking five-setter defeat against Kazakhstan. Their lone win in the competition came at Hong Kong's expense.
Still, it was an impressive showing for a hard-fighting Philippine team that missed playing at this continental stage for 36 years.