A medal continues to elude the Philippine women's volleyball team, but head coach Jorge Edson Souza de Brito believes his squad made strides during the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.

The nationals pushed Indonesia to four sets in their bronze medal match on Sunday in front of a packed crowd at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh. They could not pull off the win, however, falling 20-25, 25-22, 22-25, 23-25.

"We did our best, but it wasn't enough to beat Indonesia," said de Brito, who has come under fire from volleyball fans for his coaching decisions all throughout the SEA Games.

• SEA Games: PH spikers suffer another heartbreak vs Indonesia, misses podium

Yet de Brito saw plenty of improvement from the team, which went 2-1 in the group stage to advance to the semifinals. They bowed to Thailand, the eventual gold medalists, in the semis before succumbing to Indonesia in the battle for bronze.

"We need to be more consistent," acknowledged de Brito. "But as a matter of fact, we'd improved a lot -- less errors, better receive, more block touches."

"These players had such a hard time reaching their best level and it would be good if we keep a core from these players," he added.

The core of the team was composed of players from the Creamline Cool Smashers, though their team captain, Alyssa Valdez, saw little action due to a knee injury that she incurred in December 2022.

• SEA Games: Thailand crushes PH in volleyball semis

Meanwhile, Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Ramon "Tats" Suzara acknowledged the need to polish the team further.

"We will not stop, we will continue to work harder. And we’ll participate even more in the international arena," he said.

The Philippine women's volleyball team has not reached the SEA Games podium since 2005.

For more stories on the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, click here.