Marck Espejo and FC Tokyo wasted a two-set lead and suffered another heartbreaking loss against defending V.League champion Suntory Sunbirds, Sunday at the Sky Arena.
FC Tokyo lost the extended fourth set and eventually fell in five, 25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 27-29, 12-15, against the Sunbirds.
They dropped both of their opening weekend games, having also bowed to Suntory in five sets on Saturday wherein they forced a decider after trailing 0-2.
It was the reverse this time around, as FC Tokyo snatched the first two frames only to run out of steam in the closing stages of the match.
Espejo, back in Japan as an import, finished with 18 points on 15 kills and three blocks. Yuma Nagatomo led FC Tokyo with 21 points.
But they ultimately had no answer for Kenya Fujinaka, who put up 23 points, while Masahiro Yanagida came up with clutch hits and finished with 19 markers.
FC Tokyo returns to action next weekend against JTEKT.