The Philippine tandem of Jayrack De La Noche and Alexander Iraya bowed out of the 3rd Asian U19 Beach Volleyball Championships after losing to Iran-2’s Amir Reza Zamani and Armin Kami, 12-21, 16-21, in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, on Monday.
De la Noche and Iraya displayed incredible grit in the second set and kept Zamani and Armin Kami within striking distance at 11-14, before the Iranians asserted their might for the straight sets win. Iran-2 was dominant early on as they zoomed off to an 11-4 lead and never looked back.
Iran-2 finished with a 1-1 won-lost record to advance to the quarterfinals with unbeaten Thailand 1 in Pool A.
The Filipinos, sent to the tournament by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and Rebisco, finished its pool play campaign with a 0-2 card.
Dela Noche and Iraya said they learned valuable lessons from their international debut.
“We will bounce back next time, we will be a better team,” said Dela Noche. “Thank you for those who supported us and watched the matches online.”
Up next for De la Noche and Iraya is a stint in the 4th Asian U21 Beach Volleyball Championships on July 12 also in Nakhon Pathom. (JNP)