ALAS Pilipinas Girls opened the classification phase of the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Girls U17 World Championship with a straight-set loss to Japan, 23-25, 19-25, 16-25, on Saturday.
The Philippines struggled to build on their breakthrough Round of 16 appearance, as Japan took control of the match after a competitive opening set and pulled away in the next two frames.
Caera Celis paced Alas Girls with 16 points, firing 12 attacks while adding three blocks and one ace to become the team’s lone double-digit scorer. Xyz Rayco chipped in seven points, all from attacks, but the Filipinas just could not match the Japanese's scoring consistency.
The defeat dropped the Phlippines to the next phase of classification play, where it will meet Venezuela in another placement match.
The result against the Venezuelans will determine their final assignment of the tournament, with a victory setting up a battle for 13th place and a loss sending them to the 15th-place match.
READ: Alas Girls still assured of best finish even after Round of 16 loss
Nonetheless, Alas Girls have already made history in their first FIVB Girls U17 World Championship appearance, securing the best-ever finish by a Philippine team in an FIVB world championship regardless of how they close out their campaign.
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