Alas bounces back, boosts semis bid with Kyrgyzstan thrashing

MANILA, Philippines – Alas Pilipinas returned to its winning ways in the AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup after a 25-9, 25-11, 25-17 demolition of Kyrgyzstan at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur on Monday, June 8.

Starters Thea Gagate and Jovelyn Gonzaga showed the way with 11 and 10 points, respectively, as the Filipinas bounced back from a heartbreaking five-set loss to Australia the day prior and bolstered their chances of advancing to the semifinals with a 2-1 record in Pool A. 

“The coaches gave us a pep talk yesterday. They told us to move on, to move forward because each game is very important,” said Gonzaga.

Alyssa Valdez added 9 points, while Ces Molina and Niña Ytang provided 8 and 6 points, respectively, in a balanced attack for Alas, which gave star opposite hitter Alyssa Solomon a much-needed break.

Solomon, who exploded for 23 points in their 25-22, 23-25, 18-25, 25-15, 15-11 loss to the Aussies, saw action in just the third set against Kyrgyzstan and put up 3 points.

The Filipinas, after all, hardly needed Solomon as they made quick work of their Kyrgyz foes, wrapping up the match in just 1 hour and 10 minutes. 

No Kyrgyzstan player reached the five-point mark, with Aiturgan Aitbekova leading the team in scoring with a mere 4 points.

Up next for Alas — which opened its campaign with a 25-16, 25-12, 25-14 sweep of Uzbekistan last Saturday, June 6 — is unbeaten South Korea on Tuesday, June 9, before it concludes the group stage against Chinese Taipei on Thursday, June 11. 

Only the top two teams from each of the two pools will advance to the final four, with the Philippines looking to either match or surpass its silver-medal finish in 2025, especially on home turf. – Rappler.com