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Volleyball: Umandal rues short preparation for SEA Games

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Joshua Umandal of Team Philippines" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/05/03/20230503-asian-volleyball-confederation-via-pnvf.jpg"/><figcaption>Joshua Umandal of Team Philippines</figcaption></figure></div>Joshua Umandal and the Philippine men&#x27;s volleyball team are seeking a decent finish in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, after falling out of medal contention on Thursday night. Even before the SEA Games officially opened on Friday, the Filipinos already crashed out of the medal race in men&#x27;s volleyball after back-to-back straight set losses to two-time defending champion Indonesia and host Cambodia in Group A. Umandal refused to offer excuses in their two defeats so far, saying: &quot;We fell short as a team. The heat and crowd are not the issue, we are used to it. But our preparation for this SEA Games is not enough, unlike in 2019 when we had a long preparation.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/04/23/seag-pinoys-swept-by-cambodia-out-of-medal-contention">SEAG: Pinoys swept by Cambodia, out of medal contention</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/03/23/sea-games-ph-mens-volleyball-team-loses-to-indonesia">SEA Games: PH men&#x27;s volleyball team loses to Indonesia</a></li></ul>The Philippines won silver in the 2019 SEA Games held in Manila, but did not make the podium in Hanoi last year. A retooled squad made the trip to Cambodia this year, featuring Filipino-American recruits and a new coach in Brazilian Sergio Veloso.Many crucial contributors from the 2019 squad, including the prolific pair of Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo, and star playmaker Joshua Retamar, are not included in this year&#x27;s team.Despite the disappointing results of their first two assignments, the team intends to end the group stage on a winning note when it tangles with Singapore in a battle between winless squads Saturday at the Olympic Stadium here.&quot;Our aim to win remains. We want to beat Singapore for a strong finish,&quot; said Umandal. &quot;Even if we&#x27;re already out of the top two, we still need to get the win.&quot;&quot;We still want to win against Singapore even if we&#x27;re out of the top two. We need to get the win even if it&#x27;s only for ranking, like what we did in 2022,&quot; he stressed.Only the top two teams from the two groups will advance to the semifinals, with the rest of the squads battling it out in the classification stage.A victory over the Singaporeans will propel the Filipinos to a clash with the fourth-placed team in Group B, with the winner advancing to the battle for fifth-place.Veloso, meanwhile, has asked for patience from fans as the squad looks to crack the win column.&quot;I know the fans want (us) to win, but sometimes we win, sometimes the opponent wins, but every time we need to learn,&quot; said Veloso. &quot;Our focus in this tournament is not only to take a good position but try to do our best, try to do our 110 percent, improve every day.&quot; For more stories on the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, click <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/seagames2023">here</a>.

Joshua Umandal and the Philippine men's volleyball team are seeking a decent finish in the 32nd SEA Games in Phnom Penh, after falling out of medal contention.