Manila: Cambodia pulled off a 25-21, 16-25, 25-23, 25-17 victory over defending champion Thailand to reach the SEA Men's V Cup final Saturday night at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur. Cambodia will now face Indonesia, which prevailed over Vietnam, 25-22, 25-20, 25-22, in the other semifinal match.
According to Philippines News Agency, Veasna Voeum delivered 21 points on 17 attacks, two blocks, and two aces for the Cambodians, who were winless in eight matches last season. Kuon Mom contributed 13 points, while Thy Menghuong added 12. For Indonesia, Arabi Boy Arnez scored 12 points, all on attacks, and Halim Farhan had 11 points.
Voeum, a former teammate of Philippine star Bryan Bagunas in the Taipei pro league, highlighted a key improvement for the Cambodian team. "The most that has changed is mentality. We learned from our mistakes," Voeum stated, emphasizing their focused game plan against Thailand. "We don't care about tomorrow, today we just finished our game. tomorrow we fight again," he added.
Meanwhile, Thailand, which finished sixth in the AVC Men's Cup, will play in the bronze medal match against Vietnam. Thungkham Chaiwat led the Thai team with 20 points, followed by Khonhan Amornthep with 17 points.
In another match, Alas Pilipinas defeated Myanmar, 25-21, 28-26, 25-22, securing fifth place. The tournament was presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, and the City of Candon, headed by Mayor Eric Singson.
