Alas Pilipinas star Eya Laure during the AVC Nations Cup semifinals against Chinese Taipei. –AVC PHOTO
SCHEDULE: Alas Pilipinas at AVC Nations Cup FINAL
MANILA, Philippines — When Alas Pilipinas was on the brink of heartbreak in Hanoi, Eya Laure came to save the day and sent the women’s national volleyball program to its first-ever Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) gold medal match in 64 years.
Alas found a hero in Laure in the fifth set as she scored six of her nine points to deny Chinese Taipei’s comeback, 25-17, 25-21, 18-25, 15-25, 15-12, and book a historic ticket to the final on Friday night at Dong Anh Arena.
HIGHLIGHTS: Alas Pilipinas vs Chinese Taipei AVC Nations Cup semifinals
“She has enough maturity to handle pressure and she knows the team trusts her. She has always been a key player in her career,” Alas coach Jorge Souza De Brito told Inquirer Sports.
Her heroics set up a winner-take-all game against host and defending champion Vietnam on Saturday night — the program’s first finals appearance since the 1997 Southeast Asian Games.
The national team mainstay since 2019 may have played sparingly in the first four sets and only recently returned from a long PVL hiatus after parting ways with Chery Tiggo last year.
READ: Alas Pilipinas ends long drought, reaches AVC Nations Cup final
But she proved to be one of the country’s most reliable hitters and a leader for this young crew, alongside captain Jia De Guzman and veteran libero Dawn Macandili-Catindig.
After helping the team to a 10-7 start in the fifth, Laure’s attack was blocked as the Taiwanese cut the lead to just one.
During a timeout, she didn’t flinch, shouting, “One stop tayo (just one stop)!”
Laure then delivered a key hit to send Alas to match point, before Bella Belen sealed the win with a dramatic spike — initially called out — that was overturned by De Brito’s challenge, revealing the ball had touched Yeh Yuh-Wen’s fingertip.
“Eya is a very talented and tested player since her younger years, playing for UST and her previous PVL team,” said De Brito.
The University of Santo Tomas standout was the first to report to Alas training amid the busy UAAP and PVL seasons.
Her dedication and patience training alone with the coaching staff paid off, as she helped lead Alas to its best AVC finish, surpassing last year’s bronze medal run.
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“Even though she wasn’t able to play this last season, she’s been with Alas, training with all the coaching staff,” De Brito added. “I’m so happy for her comeback — but much more proud because we won as a team.”
