Photo from USports
Alas Pilipinas finally entered the win column in emphatic fashion, bouncing back from a stinging loss to host Vietnam by toppling China’s Sichuan Wuliangchun in four sets, 25-12, 25-22, 19-25, 25-15, on Monday at the Vinh Phuc Gymnasium in Vietnam.
With the victory, the Filipinas improved to a 1-1 record in Group A of the 2025 VTV International Women’s Volleyball Cup, forging a tie with Sichuan as both squads battle for semifinal positioning.
Determined to respond after a straight-sets defeat to Vietnam in their opening match, the Filipinas wasted no time asserting their dominance in the first set, overwhelming the Chinese club with sharp serves and steady blocking.
But it was in the tightly-contested second set where Alas truly showed its grit. Leading by just a point late in the frame, 23-22, after Vanie Gandler was denied at the net, it was Brooke Van Sickle who steadied the ship with a booming back-row attack. Gandler, shaking off her earlier error, followed it up with a smart putaway off a mishandled pass to secure the set and give the Philippines a commanding 2-0 lead.
Sichuan, however, capitalized on a sluggish start by the Filipinas in the third, racing to a 16-10 advantage that Alas never managed to overcome. The Chinese side extended rallies and found their rhythm, forcing a fourth frame.
That was all the wake-up call Alas needed.
Refusing to let the match slip away, the Philippine spikers responded with renewed aggression. Van Sickle, Leila Cruz, and MJ Phillips sparked a 5-1 surge midway through the fourth to build a six-point cushion, 17-11. With Dell Palomata patrolling the net, Alas stretched the gap to 10, 23-13, highlighted by a momentum-shifting stuff block from the middle blocker.
From there, it was Gandler once again who took over. The Ateneo product fired a sharp combination hit before closing the match with a deflection at the net, sealing the Filipinas’ first win in the tournament.
Alas Pilipinas will look to build on the morale-boosting triumph when it wraps up the group phase against Australia on Tuesday, aiming for a strong finish to lock in a spot in the knockout rounds.
