SELANGOR: Sarawak’s men’s volleyball team were beaten 3-0 by hosts Selangor in the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) Selangor 2026 semi-final at Dewan Besar Tanjung MBSA today (Aug 22).
Selangor took the opening set 25-20 before extending its advantage with a 25-16 victory in the second, leaving Sarawak facing an uphill battle.
The hosts then closed out the match 25-15 in the third set to book their place in the final, while Sarawak now turned their attention to the bronze-medal playoff.
Head coach Sanong Kulchim acknowledged that his players gave everything during the opening stages but struggled to maintain the same intensity as the match progressed.
“I can see my boys’ performance today, not really that 100 per cent, but three of them are in top form already.
“We tried our best to play every ball, to fight for every ball, but in the end we still could not defend our targeted players,” he told Sarawak Tribune.
Sanong said Sarawak had gone all out in the first two sets, where the score remained relatively close, but the younger players struggled to maintain their morale and composure in the third.
“In the first two sets, we went all out, gave everything we had. In the third set, there were younger players on the court with less experience.
“After trying to defend the first two sets, maybe in the third set their morale was down a bit to fight for the game,” he said.
He added that the widening scoreline also affected the players mentally, with some becoming increasingly emotional as Selangor stretched its lead.
“As the game went on, the points were getting further apart.
“A few of the players, of course, started to lose morale because they felt the gap was getting bigger and bigger,” he said.
With the semi-final now behind them, Sanong wants his boys to put the disappointment aside and fight for a podium finish in the bronze-medal match.
“I hope my players will go all out in the third-place match tomorrow (Aug 23).
“At least we can take third place. We will try our best,” he added.
