ALAS Pilipinas has been relegated to the bronze medal match of the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games women’s volleyball tournament.
The Philippines still couldn’t crack the Vietnam puzzle, as it bowed in straight sets, 17-25, 17-25, 14-25, 17-25, in the semifinals on Sunday at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok.
The loss extended the country’s finals drought in the competition to 28 years, with the Philippines last advancing to the gold medal match in Jakarta 1997, where it fell to Thailand in straight sets.
Still, Alas gets one last opportunity to return to the SEA Games podium for the first time in 20 years, as it heads into the battle for third against either Indonesia or Thailand on Monday.
Golden dreams fade
Alyssa Solomon once again led the Philippines with 10 points on eight attacks and two blocks, while Angel Canino added nine attack points and the returning Eya Laure chipped in seven despite playing just a set and a half.
Alas Women tried to muscle through a nip-and-tuck start in the opening frame before reeling off four straight points—highlighted by two Shaina Nitura attacks and a pair of Amie Provido blocks to seize a 14–12 lead.
That brief momentum, however, was quickly erased by a Tranh Thi Thanh Thuy-led 13–3 Vietnam run that flattened the Nationals just as they began to find rhythm against their longtime regional tormentors.
Six unforced errors during that stretch only compounded the Philippines’ uphill climb as they went on to yield 18 in the straight-sets contest.
The same script unfolded in the second set, where Alas Women pulled even at 8-all before T4 once again took control, stretching the gap to double digits and capping a 15-point night that all came off attacks.
And much like the opening two frames, a late Laure-fueled Philippine surge was snuffed out by a decisive 5–1 Vietnam blitz, punctuated by a Nitura attack error that sealed Vietnam’s return to the gold medal match — its 13th finals appearance in 14 editions of the biennial meet.
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