MANILA Philippines – Indonesia ended the Philippines’ stirring run in men’s volleyball Tuesday, scoring a dominant 25-21, 27-25, 25-17 victory to complete a perfect stint in the 30th South Asian Games at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Indonesians proved too strong and unstoppable as they reasserted their mastery of the Filipino spikers to complete a five-game sweep without dropping a single set en route to the gold.

Rivan Nurmukli, Doni Haryono, Sigit Ardian and Putu Randu outplayed the dynamic duo of Marck Espejo and Bryan Bagunas and silenced the home crowd after one hour and 29 minutes.

Thailand, which lost to the Philippines in the semifinals, vented its ire on Myanmar 25-23, 25-16, 25-20 to win the bronze.

Haryono led the Indonesians to the Promise Land, nailing 20 of his 29 attack attempts. Nurmukli delivered 17 points, while Ardian added 11 markers, including 15 excellent receptions.

Philippines coach Dante Alinsunurin admitted they failed to match the aggressiveness of the Indonesians in the finals, the first for the Filipinos since the 1977 SEA Games.

“We had problems with our performance. The Indonesians showed more experience in this level,”said Alinsunurin. “But we’re still proud of this silver medal finish. We will just have to keep this program going for us to reach a new level in the international scene.”

Espejo led the Pinoys with 15 points and 16 excellent receptions, while Bagunas had 11 points. Rex Intal had nine points. (LO/IAMIGO/CNS)