By Adrian Stewart Co

The Philippine men’s volleyball team won bronze at the 2019 Thailand Open Sealect Tuna Championships after scoring a come-from-behind 22-25, 27-29, 25-18, 25-18, 26-24 win over Thai-Denmark Saraburi earlier this week at the Wee Sommay Gym in Sisaket, Thailand. The tournament came to a close yesterday.
Marck Espejo led the Philippines with 35 points built on 27 attacks, five blocks, and three aces; Bryan Bagunas added 22 points, 21 of which came from attacks; Ranran Abdilla made his presence felt with 17 points; and Kim Malabunga came up with clutch hits in the fifth set to finish with 15 points.
Trailing by two sets, the Philippines rallied behind Bagunas in the third, surged to a seven-point lead, and eventually took their first set of the match. Espejo then took over scoring in the fourth frame to force a decider.
In the fifth set, the Philippines trailed early but Espejo and Bagunas managed to tie the score at 12-all. Malabunga then scored a hit to force another tie at 13-all.
After a subsequent back-and-forth, the Philippines eked out a 26-24 victory to take bronze./ASC, WDJ