Filipino spikers lose to Cambodians, eliminated in SEA Games

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine men's volleyball crashed out of contention for a podium finish in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games after a three-set loss to hosts Cambodia, 25-18, 25-18, 25-17, at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh on Thursday.

The loss dropped them to 0-2 in Group A and with one game remaining, the team will not be able to finish in the Top 2 to move on to the knockout semifinals.

Though the Filipinos kept things close early in the first three sets, the Cambodians were able to catch steam each time to breeze past the visitors.

The hosts have yet to drop a set in the group stages.

Pin Sarun churned out back-to-back kills to finish off the Philippines in Set 3 and finished with a game-high 13 points for Cambodia.

Jade Disquitado was the lone bright spot for the Philippines with 11 markers.

The Philippines hopes to end the group stages on a high note against fellow also-ran Singapore on Saturday.

Apart from the group stage game, the Philippines will also be playing classification matches to determine their ranking from fifth to eighth place.

Meanwhile, Cambodia is headed to the semis with defending champions Indonesia. They clash for the top spot in Group A also on Saturday.