Volleybelles drop tight five-setter vs Kazakhs

JAKARTA – The Philippine volleybelles came to within two points of shocking central Asian power Kazakhstan but missed a finishing kick in a heartbreaker of a defeat, 11-25, 25-22, 15-25, 25-19, 14-16, in the penultimate play date of the 18th Asian Games women’s volleyball competition at the GBK Indoor Tennis court here yesterday.

Alenssya Safronova hammered a point to break a 14-all count in the fifth and deciding set then came through with a kill block off Jaja Santiago as the Kazakhs foiled the Filipinas’ upset bid and sent Team Phl to a battle for seventh with the home team at 10 a.m. today.

It will be a repeat of the Phl-Indonesia match in group play last Saturday where power-hitting Aprilia Santini Manganang led the home team to a 25-20, 25-20, 24-26, 25-22 win over the Filipinas.

The Indonesians had their own tough stand against Team Vietnam before dropping a 27-29, 25-18, 22-25, 22-25 loss earlier yesterday.

But the Filipinas looked a lot better in their spirited, gutsy stand against the taller Kazakhs, the No. 3 quarterfinal qualifiers from Pool B.

Santiago was a lethal weapon at the net until her last drive was blocked by Safronova for the match and a place in the fight for fifth place for the Kazakhs.

The towering Filipina spiker top scored for Team Phl with 19 points while Mylene Paat and Alyssa Valdez contributed 14 and 13, respectively, in their performance to remember in the Jakarta Games.

Coach Shaq delos Santos hoped they could bring their intensity and energy in their game against the Kazakhs in their grudge match against the hosts today.

The Pinay belles fought back from two lopsided set losses with grit and spunk to force a decider which they controlled in the early going, only to crack in the face of the Kazakhs’ mighty charge behind their vaunted running attacks and solid blocking.

A Kazakhstan attack error gave the Philippines a 7-3 lead but the Kazakhs came out of a huddle in fierce form, racking up three straight hits on a kill, a Mylene Paat attack error and ace hitter Alessya Safronova’s running attack.

A quick attack by Maika Ortiz gave Team Phl a two-hit cushion but the Kazakhs wiped it in the next two plays, setting the stage for a thrilling finish in a duel for a crack at No. 5.

They traded points from there with the Filipinas saving the first match point on their rivals’ service error. But after another Safronova’s running hit, the Kazakhs clinched the coveted point, the set and the match on a block on Jaja Santiago.

Against the Kazakhs, the Pinay spikers rebounded strong from each setback on strong starts in the second and fourth sets and looked headed for a big reversal after taking the first three points in the fifth on back-to-back Kazakhstan errors and on an Alyssa Valdez kill.

But the Kazakhs stopped the Filipinas’ momentum on a Yana Petrenko kill and a kill block on Paat although Valdez scored on a backrow attack despite a shaky Phl receive and Santiago came through with a kill, Paat delivered a hit from a long rally plus a Kazakhstan attack error against the Kazakhs’ lone hit as the Philippines surge ahead at 7-3, prompting the Kazakh coach to sue for time to make the necessary adjustments and map out their next plays.