Alas Pilipinas have already made waves at the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women by sweeping Pool A.
The Philippines' latest triumph came on Sunday night at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, where it defeated Chinese Taipei in straight sets, 25-13, 25-21, 25-18, to complete an undefeated run in the preliminaries.
This victory not only secured their place in the knockout semifinals but also guaranteed that they would at least match their best finish in any continental tournament, a fourth-place standing achieved in the 1962 and 1966 Asian Games. Alas Pilipinas is now set to face Kazakhstan, the second seed from Pool B, on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
Eya Laure, one of the team’s standout performers, believes this squad has the potential to achieve even greater heights as they continue to gel and bond.
“I think maigsi pa lang kasi yung time na nagkasama-sama kami, pero kapag dumating yung time na mas mahaba na yung time – na nagkaroon na kami ng bonding, ng jelling – of course mas mabubuo yung teamwork pa namin,” said Laure, who unloaded 15 points against the Taiwanese side.
“Yung nakikita niyo ngayon, I think mas mahihigitan pa namin ‘to,” said the Chery Tiggo star.
A victory against Kazakhstan would mark the Philippines' best finish ever in an Asian-level tournament.
The last encounter between the two teams saw Kazakhstan edge out the Philippines in a nail-biting five-set match, 25-21, 17-25, 24-26, 27-25, 15-6. That match featured a stellar performance from the Filipino squad led by the core of National University players, including Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, and Vange Alinsug, who combined for 30 points.
Despite the strong performance by Alas Pilipinas so far, Laure remains focused on continuing their winning streak and seizing the historic opportunity to shine in front of their home crowd.
“Nandito na kami so hindi na kami titigil na gumawa ng history para sa Philippine volleyball,” said the 25-year-old outside spiker out of University of Santo Tomas.
“Balik lang ulit kami sa training. Kung ano lang ibigay samin ni coach Jorge, ng mga coaches namin, kung ano lang sabihin nila magsi-stick lang kami sa system na ibibigay nila at ita-try namin i-apply kung ano ‘man yung mga napagusapan namin."
As the semifinals approach, the entire nation will be watching to see if Alas Pilipinas can continue their impressive run and secure their place in the annals of Philippine volleyball history.
