Bangkok, Thailand — The stage is set and the stakes are sky-high as the do-or-die semifinal matchups have been confirmed for the 33rd SEA Games Women’s Volleyball Tournament at Huamark Indoor Stadium.
The Philippines will lock horns with Vietnam, while Indonesia brace for a formidable battle against defending champions Thailand, who are chasing their 15th consecutive SEA Games crown.
On the final day of the pool round-robin preliminaries, the Philippines rebounded strongly from their opening-day loss to the hosts, sweeping Singapore with a commanding 25-13, 25-8, 25-18 victory to secure their fourth consecutive semifinal berth.
Opposite spiker Alyssa Jae Solomon and outside hitter Shaina Marie Nitura fired 10 points apiece to anchor the crucial win. Their dominance at the net proved unassailable as the Filipinas outgunned Singapore in attacks (43–24) and blocks (8–3). The Philippines also outserved their rivals with seven aces to two and capitalized astutely on opponent errors, earning a seven-point edge (17–10).
Earlier in Pool B, Pua Ee Ling delivered a match-high 20 points—17 attacks and three aces—to inspire Malaysia to a spirited four-set comeback win over Myanmar (18-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-23), marking their first triumph of the 33rd SEA Games campaign.
However, the highlight of the day came in the final showdown between world No. 28 Vietnam—consecutive three-time AVC Nations Cup winners and successive three-time SEA Games silver medallists—and world No. 70 Indonesia, coached by Brazilian-born Japanese tactician Marcos Sugiyama, a former standout with Sakai Blazers, Suntory Sunbirds, and Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza.
Vietnam endured a jittery start, trailing Indonesia 2–7 in the opening set, but clawed their way back to level the score at 11–11. From there, they turned the tide decisively, surging ahead 20–16 before sealing the hard-earned set, 25–20.
Despite strong efforts from Indonesian captain Megawati Hangastri Pertiwi and the fiery Yoku Mediol Stiovanny, Vietnam’s skipper Trần Thị Thanh Thủy proved a towering menace on the right side. Her power, precision, and leadership, combined with Vi Thị Nhu Quỳnh’s consistency, powered Vietnam to a dominant 25–15 win in the second set.
The third set produced even more drama as Indonesia fought tooth and nail to close the gap, but buoyed by their roaring supporters, Vietnam held their nerve to wrap up the set, 25–19, and the match.
Trần Thị Thanh Thủy topped all scorers with 15 points (13 attacks, one block, one ace). Vi Thị Nhu Quỳnh and Hoàng Thị Kiều Trinh chipped in 13 points each. No Indonesian player reached double digits, with Megawati and Putri Naisya Pratama scoring seven points apiece.
At the conclusion of Friday’s pool preliminaries, Asian champions Thailand topped Pool A with two straight wins (six points), followed by the Philippines with three points. Singapore finished third without a win.
Vietnam swept Pool B with a perfect nine points from three victories, while Indonesia secured second place with six points. Malaysia placed third with three points, and Myanmar concluded their campaign winless in fourth.
With only the top two teams from each pool advancing, Thailand and the Philippines from Pool A, along with Vietnam and Indonesia from Pool B, booked their tickets to the semifinals. Thailand will square off against Indonesia, while the Philippines face a stern test against Vietnam. Both semifinals will take place on Sunday.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, December 13, Myanmar will meet Singapore—the third-place team in Pool A—in the classification round at 10:00 a.m. local time. The losing side will end their SEA Games campaign in seventh place, while the winners will battle Malaysia on Sunday in the 5th–6th playoff.
Also set to ignite the court on Saturday is the opening day of the men’s competition. Myanmar will face the Philippines in a Pool B clash at 12:30 p.m. local time, while Pool A features two encounters: Laos take on Vietnam at 3:00 p.m., followed by hosts Thailand playing Singapore at 5:30 p.m.