Abdilla-Francisco tandem eliminated from Asian Men's Beach Volleyball

c/o POC/PSC Media

The Alas Pilipinas Men couldn’t wear down Oman in a closely-fought second set to absorb a 14-21, 26-28 defeat—the second in Pool A—to crash out of the men’s beach volleyball competition in the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games on Thursday at the Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court.

Lerry Francisco and Alnakran Abadilla’s loss ended their competitive season, but assistant coach Leonardo Gomes saw a bright spot in Francisco, who has only been playing beach volleyball for two and a half years.

“It was a very disappointing result for us. We had a chance to close out the second set, but we didn’t take advantage of our counterattack opportunities.” Gomes said. “After that, the set kept going point by point, and unfortunately, we couldn’t finish it.”

Gomes said Francico’s only in his  fourth tournament but showed he could compete at the Asian Games level, playing with courage and confidence.

“Unfortunately, the result didn’t come, but if there is one positive thing we can take from this match, it is Lerry’s performance and his continued development as a beach volleyball player,” Gomes said.

“At the end of the day, experience matters a lot, especially in important moments like the ones we had today,” he said.

The 34th SEA Games will now be the next major target and for Gomes, the team must reassess its direction, identify its mistakes and learn from the Asian Games.

He remains hopeful given the group’s young age and the potential he sees from the team.