The Philippine men’s volleyball team hacked out a thrilling 22-25, 25-21, 26-24, 23-25, and 15-12 win over Mongolia in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Men’s Cup on Monday afternoon at the University of Taipei Hall in Taiwan.
Marck Espejo, Steven Rotter, and Ryan Ka joined forces in the fifth set to lead the Philippines past Mongolia and sweep their Pool D matches for a slot in the knockout final 12 stage that starts on Wednesday.
Espejo erupted for 36 points on 29 kills, five service aces, and two blocks to lead the way for Team Philippines, which also swept Macau, 25-21, 25-15, and 25-14, last Sunday.
The Philippines joins host Taiwan, Australia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, India, Vietnam, and Bahrain in the playoff round, along with either Saudi Arabia or Thailand, which have yet to complete their pool play.
