SEA Games: Philippine volleyball team debuts with straight sets defeat to Indonesia

The Philippines bowed to Indonesia in straight sets, 25-22, 25-20, 25-14, to drop its first game in the Southeast Asian Games women's volleyball tournament on Wednesday in Singapore.

The national team led by team captain Jovelyn Gonzaga and superstar Alyssa Valdez fought hard to keep the game close in the first set. The squad, however, could not control Indonesia's spikers including controversial player April Manganang.

The team answered as best as they can with Valdez and Jaja Santiago teaming up once again to lift the team's offense, but the squad collapsed defensively in the third frame and yielded the game as Indonesia fired two service aces.

Before the game, the Philippines lost another battle with Indonesia after its protest to have Manganang undergo a gender test was denied.

According to Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas president Joey Romasanta, organizers said "there was not enough material time to conduct the gender test on the Indonesian."

The SEA Games Organizing Committee told Romasanta that it was honoring the certification given by the FIVB, the international volleyball body, that allowed Santini to play for the Indonesian national women's volleyball team in an earlier event.

Romasanta said he had considered putting the match under protest, but decided not to do so by a Filipino official of the FIVB who said that "the FIVB has already spoken on the matter."

National coach Roger Gorayeb had earlier raised a howl against Manganang because of her masculine appearance and physique.

No TV coverage

Meanwhile, the local broadcaster of the SEA Games apologized for not airing the first game of the Philippine women's volleyball team against Indonesia.

AksyonTV aired the apology in a news ticker. The station blamed "technical problems encountered with the transmission feed from Singapore."

The station had earlier advertised the timeslot for the game, which it said it would broadcast live. That led to volleyball diehards expressing their frustration over social media for the much-awaited game. - Marisse Panaligan/JST, GMA News