The Philippines’ Jayrack De La Noche and Alexander Iraya put up a gallant stand before losing to Iran-2’s Amir Reza Zamani and Armin Kami, 12-21, 16-21, bowing out of contention in the Third Asian U19 Beach Volleyball Championships in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, on Monday.
De la Noche and Iraya displayed a better performance in the second set and kept Zamani and Armin Kami within reach, 11-14, before the Iranians asserted their might for the straight sets win.
Iran-2 was in attack mode in the first set where they raced to an 11-4 lead they never relinquished.
Iran-2 wound up with a 1-1 won-lost record to advance to the quarterfinals with unbeaten Thailand 1 in Pool A.
The Filipinos, sent in 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, who thanked their coaches Dondon Verayo and Teshi Ea for motivating them.
“Thank you for those who supported us and watched the matches online,” he added.
Up next for De la Noche and Iraya is a stint in the Fourth Asian U21 Beach Volleyball Championships on July 12 also in Nakhon Pathom.
All three Thailand teams made it to the quarterfinals, which also features two Iran pairs, two Kazakhstan squads and an Australian duo.