Alas Pilipinas’ Jia De Guzman during the AVC Women’s Nations Cup final against host Vietnam. –AVC PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Alas Pilipinas captain Jia De Guzman couldn’t be prouder after the team seized the silver medal at the AVC Women’s Nations Cup.

De Guzman, a cornerstone of the Alas program, savored their historic run that showed just how far Philippine women’s volleyball has come.

READ: ‘Serious contender’ Alas Pilipinas draws high praise from Vietnam coach

“I can’t fully express how proud and inspired I am to witness each member of this team grow every day as athletes and coaches,” wrote De Guzman on social media.

“Thank you for continuing to show up & give your best even when things get hard. I love you all so much… Step by step, Philippines. On to the next.”

The Philippines lost to host Vietnam in the final, 15-25, 17-25, 14-25, as the Vietnamese cruised to their third consecutive crown.

While it was a lopsided loss, Alas’ overall performance in the continental championship gave the team a lot to look forward to.

READ: Alas Pilipinas’ AVC silver ‘means everything’ for PH volleyball

One of which is the continuous development of the program’s promising young core of Angel Canino, Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, Shaina Nitura and Eya Laure.

“It takes time and loads of patience to build a culture that focuses more on the journey & growth over immediate results.”

“Where other people only see wins or losses, achievements or failures, perfection or mistakes we see all of it as necessary parts of the process of becoming a better team. This is what ‘gaining experience as a team’ means. This is why we try to keep the same players, and also add more to the pool.”

Alas’ runner-up finish is the country’s best since the tournament’s foundation in 2018.