The Philippine women's volleyball team absorbed a tough five-set loss to Australia, 21-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-16, 15-10, to kick off its sixth AVC Cup for Women campaign Sunday at the Korat Chatchai Hall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
The Philippines almost pulled off a sweep after putting up a great comeback attempt in Set 3, but the team ended up dropping the last three sets to waste its 2-0 advantage.
Rachel Rourke steered the Australians to the victory.
The Filipina spikers tried to salvage the game as they built an 8-6 edge in the final set, but Rourke was there to shift the momentum back to Australia. Her back-to-back hits sparked an 8-0 blitz that sent her team to match point. Maika Ortiz and Mylene Paat scored to keep the Philippines alive, but an attack error from Paat sealed the deal for Australia.
The Philippine team bagged identical 25-21 wins in the first two frames. Jia Morado spread the offense well, making full use of the team's weapons. With Alyssa Valdez getting repeatedly rejected, Paat stepped up and delivered, aided by Ortiz and Cha Cruz-Behag.
The team's Asiad core members showcased their familiarity with one another in the openers, with skipper Aby Maraño serving as the energizer especially in the second set. But the Australians finally found their groove in Set 3.
With Australia pulling away early, Valdez took over in the thrilling third set, leading the Philippines' rally from 0-6 down to a 19-all deadlock. Valdez and Paat even conspired to save two set points before Australia managed to take it away off a kill from Rourke and a rejection on Valdez.
The Australians once again heated up at the start of the fourth period, then the Filipinas shot themselves in the foot with multiple errors that pushed the game to a deciding fifth set.
The Philippines will face Iran on Monday before squaring off with Kazakhstan on Tuesday in Pool C of the tournament. The top two teams in the group will earn a ticket to the quarterfinals.