MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine women’s volleyball team’s 2022 Asean Grand Prix campaign got off to a bad start on Friday at Chatchai Hall in Nakhon Ratchasima when it was defeated by the reigning champion Thailand, 25-17, 25-22, 25-12.

As the defending champion Thailand defeated the Philippine women’s volleyball team on Friday at Chatchai Hall in Nakhon Ratchasima, the Philippines’ 2022 Asean Grand Prix campaign got off to a bad start.

Ajcharaporn Kongyot proved to be a thorn in the side of the Filipinos as she scored three of the team’s six straight points to erase a 19 to 22 deficit in the second set on the way to a 2 to 0 lead and finished up their 13-point win in the third to win in one hour and 25 minutes. Pimpichaya Kokram led the Thais’ onslaught with 17 points.

Wipawee Srithong contributed significantly to the victory as well, scoring six of her ten points in the opening set to set the tone for the current champion. Six points each were contributed by Sasipaporn Janthawisut and Kannika Thipachot, while five points each were contributed by Kongyot and Kaewkalaya Kamulthala.

After dominating the first two legs of the 2019 Asean Grand Prix, Thailand’s setter Pornpun Guedpard produced some outstanding plays as Thailand racked up 46 kills versus the Philippines’ 27 to begin their push for a third consecutive championship.

With 11 points, 10 successful attacks, and a block, Tots Carlos led the national team, which was made up of the Creamline Cool Smashers. Jema Galanza put out a heroic effort in the second set, scoring five of her eight points.

On Saturday at 4 p.m., team leader Jia De Guzman and co. will take on Vietnam in an effort to improve on their sixth-place performance in the AVC Cup for Women two weeks ago. In the three-day competition, the team with the best record will take home the gold.

Earlier, Vietnam defeated Indonesia with a score of 25 to 23, 25 to 19, and 25 to 9 thanks to Tran Thi Thanh Thuy’s 20 point performance.

With a 4 to 1 start in the second set, the Philippines made a valiant effort to hold on. They led by as much as four points (20 to 16) when Gumabao and Galanza made consecutive blunders, which were followed by Kamulthala’s ace, which reduced the lead to one (20 to19).

Galanza reestablished the order by scoring two consecutive kills to win 22 to 19. However, Kongyot responded with two straight kills, which were followed by a kill from Kokram and two back to back attack blunders from Galanza and Carlos to earn the setpoint. With a block on Jeanette Panaga, Kongyot completed the 6 to 0 run and took the lead after two sets.

In the third, the Thais outscored the visitors 10 to 4 to take control of the game. They then increased their lead to 21 to 11 over the visitors’ bench players before Kongyot put the game away.

In the next match, Thailand will play Indonesia in search of its second victory. to guarantee at least a silver medal performance and bring a victory closer to a second Asean Grand Prix victory.

In addition to fellow reserve Lorie Bernardo and the head of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation national teams commission Tonyboy Liao, Alyssa Valdez, who is still recovering from a dengue infection, supported the Philippines from the sidelines.

A massive 6-0 swing led by Jema Galanza and Michele Gumabao helped the tenacious Filipinas quieten the home fans after Thailand led 16–14 in the second set. This allowed them to increase their lead to 4 points, 20–16, following a Thai error that necessitated a timeout. 

To conclude with a score of 25-22, the home team swiftly collected itself and decisively ended the Philippines’ resurgence with a 9-2 comeback.

That was all the motivation the Thais required to dominate the third set early (13-5) and never look back, peaking with a 13-point lead to determine the final frame score.

Pimpichaya Kokram, a top-tier spiker, finished first overall with 17 points from 16 assaults and 1 block, while Wipawee Srithong earned 10 points in just two sets.