RRI.CO.ID, Hanoi - Indonesian women's national volleyball team ended the first leg of the 2026 SEA V Cup on a positive note with a 3-1 victory over the Philippines, securing third place in the provisional standings before the tournament moves to Thailand for its second leg.

Indonesia recovered after dropping the opening set 20-25 to claim the next three sets 25-19, 25-22, and 25-16 at Dong Anh Gymnasium in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday, August 2, 2026.

Both Indonesia and the Philippines entered the match without a win in the opening two rounds.

The Philippines started strongly by taking advantage of Indonesia's errors to win the first set. However, head coach Marcos Sugiyama's squad improved its first-ball reception, blocking, and attacking efficiency to level the match before taking control.

The third set was closely contested, with both teams trading points throughout. Indonesia remained composed in the closing stages to seize the lead before comfortably winning the fourth set.

Indonesian women's national team manager Luciana Taroreh said the victory provided motivation to the team ahead of the tournament's second leg after suffering defeats to Thailand on July 31 and hosts Vietnam on August 1.

"The team is motivated to improve on last year's first-leg result," Luciana told RRI, Monday, August 3, 2026, adding that Indonesia still needs to improve three key areas: consistency, reducing unforced errors, and strengthening mental resilience.

"We still need to improve consistency, reduce unforced errors, and strengthen our mentality. Hopefully, we can produce better results in the second leg," she said.

Luciana added that the loss to Vietnam provided valuable lessons for the team. "We started well and won the first set, but Vietnam played more consistently in the following sets, while Indonesia made too many mistakes at crucial points," she added.

The second leg of the 2026 SEA V Cup Women's tournament will be held in Thailand from August 7 to 9. (Diffa Sephiawardhani)