Philippines suffers heartbreaker vs Chinese Taipei in Asian U-23 Women's Volleyball Championship

The Philippines lost steam after a hot first set against Chinese Taipei, yielding a 21-25 25-18 25-12 25-19 defeat in the Asian U-23 Women's Volleyball Championship on Tuesday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

The Alyssa Valdez-led squad cruised to a 14-8 advantage in the first frame to the delight of the Filipino fans, and then bucked a mid-set meltdown to stun Chinese Taipei.

The Philippines, however, fell flat in the second and third sets, giving up a lot of errors and misreceptions to the formidable Taipei team.

The gallant Pinays tried to get into rhythm in the fourth in the hopes of extending the match, posting an early 9-5 lead after a cross-court kill by Gretchel Soltones.

The team collapsed again in the mid-set with a string of mistakes bringing them down, 13-11, but three consecutive service aces from setter Jia Morado and a kill from team captain Valdez gave them back the lead, 16-14.

Taipei over took anew after three consecutive errors, but a quick hit from Jaja Santiago tied the game at 17-17.

Chinese Taipei, however, decided to go for the kill at that point as the Philippines committed more errors while providing spotty floor defense.

The team cruised to a 24-17 lead after a 7-0 run, and then took the game after the Philippines saved two matchpoints.

Valdez led the team in scoring with 16 points, but no one else scored in double digits for Team Philippines. Santiago added eight points, while Soltones and Morado finished with seven apiece.

Lee Tzu-ying, meanwhile, paced Chinese Taipei with 15 points, while Chen Tzu-Ya added 13. Tseng Wang-Ling finished with 11. - RAF, GMA News