Alas Pilipinas’ Alyssa Solomon during the AVC Nations Cup final against Vietnam. –AVC PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Alas Pilipinas got dominated by world-class and three-peat champion Vietnam, but its first silver medal in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) showed the progress the women’s volleyball program has made.
Alas is taking home a silver medal that shines like gold after being swept by Vietnam, 15-25, 17-25, 14-25, in the AVC Women’s Nations Cup Final at Dong Anh Arena in Hanoi.
HIGHLIGHTS: Alas Pilipinas vs Vietnam AVC Nations Cup FINAL
The Vietnamese turned to Tran Thi Thanh Thuy and Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, who hammered 20 and 17 points, respectively, to complete a six-game sweep of the Nations Cup.
Nguyen Thi Uyen and Thi Bich Thuy Tran had 10 and nine points as Vietnam continued to own the Philippines’ number. The Filipinos have yet to beat their Southeast Asia rivals since the second leg of the Asean Grand Prix in 2019 — now known as the SEA V.League.
Alas Pilipinas’ Jia de Guzman during the AVC Nations Cup final against Vietnam. –AVC PHOTO
Members of Alas Pilipinas were left in tears after Thuy, dubbed as T4, scored the championship-clinching push, but they held her heads high with their first-ever Asian finals stint.
READ: Alas Pilipinas’ big upset is even bigger win for national program
No one from Alas scored in double figures with Alyssa Solomon leading the way with eight points. UAAP Rookie of the Year Shaina Nitura made a last-ditch effort, cutting the lead down to six in the third set, 14-20, only for the home team to go for the kill with a 5-0 run.
Nitura had six points, coming off the bench. Fifi Sharma and Angel Canino scored four points each. Thea Gagate and Eya Laure had three points each the same score as Jia De Guzman while setting the plays for her team.
Alas, which boosted its World Ranking points, still made its best finish in the Asian stage and first runner-up stint since the 1997 Southeast Asian Games.
The Filipino Spikers, who finished the pool stage with a 4-1 record including a shocking sweep of last year’s finalist Kazakhstan, came off a historic 25-17, 25-21, 18-25, 15-25, 15-12 win over Chinese Taipei in the semifinal on Friday night to set a duel with the Vietnamese.
De Guzman scored off a push to trim the first set deficit to three, 8-11, but T4 waxed hot and mounted a 22-11 spread to dominate the opening set.
Alas led by two points early in the second after Bella Belen set the ball to De Guzman to score a spike, 9-7, but T4 restored the order and pulled away with a 21-13 margin on their way to a two-set lead.
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The Philippines will have another tournament in Vietnam in the VTV Cup before the SEA V.League.
