Alas Pilipinas Women’s hopes of climbing the podium in the first leg of the 2025 Southeast Asia V.League absorbed a blow after falling to Vietnam, 13-25, 21-25, 25-23, 9-25, on Saturday afternoon at Terminal 21 Hall.
Struggling to find their rhythm in the opening two sets, the Nationals showed flashes of fight in the third frame but ultimately faltered in the fourth, dropping to 0-2 in the tournament and setting up a do-or-die clash with Indonesia at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Before they can even entertain thoughts of a bronze-medal finish, Alas Pilipinas must first hope that host Thailand defeats Indonesia in their 6 p.m. encounter later tonight to keep the medal race within reach. The Filipinas are gunning for a third consecutive SEA V.League bronze.
Saturday’s setback also marked Alas Pilipinas’ third consecutive defeat to Vietnam this year, following their losses in the AVC Challenge Cup final and the VTV Cup.
The third set offered a glimmer of hope as the Filipinas bounced back from a 5-10 deficit behind a run of Vietnamese errors and the steady scoring of Cignal's Vanie Gandler, who sparked a 15-13 turnaround.
With the set tied at 21-all, Eya Laure fired two crucial attacks, PLDT's Dell Palomata added a quick kill, and Vietnam committed a service error to hand the Nationals a 25-23 win — their first set victory in the tournament.
But Vietnam regrouped and delivered a decisive response in the fourth frame.
?oàn Th? Lâm Oanh’s clever 1-2 play, back-to-back aces from Nguy?n Th? Bích Tuy?n, and a solid block by Tr?n Th? Bích Th?y saw the Vietnamese storm to a commanding 11-3 lead. Nguy?n Th? Uyên then finished the job with three successive attacks to snuff out any hopes of a comeback.
Earlier, Alas Pilipinas showed flashes of potential in the second set after cutting a six-point deficit to just three, 19-22, thanks to key hits from Laure, Gandler, and Capital1's Leila Cruz. But a crisp down-the-line kill from Tr?n Th? Thanh Thúy, followed by a swipe from Uyên and a quick conversion by Bích Th?y, sealed the set for Vietnam.
The opening frame, however, was all Vietnam.
Struggling with errors and unable to establish their offense, the Filipinas fell behind early, 8-17, and never recovered, conceding the first set in just 20 minutes.
With the win, Vietnam improved to 2-0, securing at least a second-place finish and setting up a virtual title match against undefeated host Thailand on Sunday night.
As for Alas Pilipinas, their road to redemption — and a spot on the podium — will hinge not just on their ability to bounce back against Indonesia, but also on Thailand’s performance later today.
