The Philippine women's volleyball team struggled to execute in their quarterfinal match against China as the Olympic champions cruised through a dominant 25-15, 25-9, 25-7 victory in the 2018 Asian Games Wednesday in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Jaja Santiago served as the lone bright spot for the Philippines, finishing with 16 points off 12 spikes, three blocks, and an ace. Alyssa Valdez was limited to three points, while Dindin Santiago-Manabat contributed two markers.
Against the great wall of China, the Philippines only managed to convert 20 of its 87 spike attempts.
"They really dominate in terms of speed, skills, and talent. They play smart and they're really all out when they play," PH coach Shaq delos Santos said about the Chinese, who have yet to drop a set in the tournament.
Gong Xiangyu delivered 16 points (7 kills and 8 blocks) in the win, while Yuan Xinyue put up 15 points (11 kills, 4 blocks, 1 ace). The two conspired to defend the net and make the Filipino attackers bleed for points.
Santiago sizzled in the opener where she hammered down ten of her 16 markers. She came up with impressive blocks on Yuan and Zhu Ting plus a hit off an over-reception, which trimmed a 12-point deficit down to nine, 22-13, late in the period. She then conspired with Valdez to save a couple of set points before the Chinese bagged a Set 1 triumph.
China surged to a 5-1 start in the second frame that prompted delos Santos to call an early timeout. He kept on reminding the players to stay in the game and concentrate on reading the movements of their opponents. But the girls continued to crumble as the Chinese muscled their way to a 2-0 edge.
The Philippines could not get anything going in Set 3 as four of its measly seven-point total came from China's errors. Santiago got to squeeze three markers, while the rest of the spikers were left in shambles.
The Philippine team bowed out of medal contention but the team will still compete in the classification phase.