Rebisco outlasts CEB in 5 sets, finishes 9th in Asian men's club tilt

The Philippines' Rebisco wrapped up the 2021 Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship in ninth place with a 25-14, 22-25, 25-18, 21-25, 15-11 victory over Sri Lanka's CEB in the classification match on Wednesday.

The nationals were quick to assert their dominance, winning the opening set by a wide margin of 25-14 behind solid performances from open hitter Jao Umandal and middle blocker Kim Malabunga.

Their errors cost them the second set but they bounced back in the third to regain the upperhand. They couldn't close out the game, however, as the Sri Lankan club extended the game to a decider.

The ferocious duo of Umandal and Malabunga became pivotal in the final set after the two steered the Filipinos to an important 9-6 lead over the feisty CEB.

Team captain John Vic de Duzman and Nico Almendras converted back-to-back attacks for Rebisco, 13-10, before a miscommunication on their side brought CEB to just within two, 13-11.

A service error from CEB gave Rebisco the match point before a perfect pass from setter Joshua Retamara to Umandal capped off the hard-fought win for the Philippine bets.

The victory also wrapped up the Philippine team's campaign in the tournament with the women's teams, Choco Mucho and Rebisco, finishing at sixth and seventh place, respectively in their division.

—MGP, GMA News