ALAS Pilipinas Girls moved closer to an unprecedented Round of 16 berth after sweeping Tunisia, 27-25, 25-19, 25-16, on Saturday in the FIVB Volleyball Girls U17 World Championship.
The Philippines improved to 2-1 in Pool B after following its opening loss to defending champion China and a historic first win over a higher-ranked nation in Mexico.
READ: Alas Girls make history with first FIVB U17 Worlds win vs Mexico
The victory kept the Philippines in second place in Pool B behind China, with two matches left in the preliminary round. The top four teams advance to the Round of 16.
Alas Girls will return from a brief tournament break on Monday against No. 6 Peru before closing pool play against No. 12 Venezuela on Tuesday.
Xyz Rayco and Resty Olaguir also rediscovered their connection at the right time, with the two key players from the team that qualified for the world championship through last year’s Asian Women’s U16 Championship in Jordan helping Alas Girls pull away from the African side.
“It feels different when she sets me the ball, it feels like I can really kill it,” Rayco said.
Rayco finished with 13 points on 12 attacks and a block, including two of Alas’ final three points in a tight opening set. The 16-year-old had struggled in the first two matches but found her rhythm against Tunisia.
“I’m happy because everyone contributed. I’m also happy with my game because I was able to show how I really play,” Rayco said. “I’m satisfied even though I made mistakes because I was able to bounce back and show who I am as a player.”
Olaguir, meanwhile, came off the bench after Irish Mahinay started at setter and helped settle the Philippines after its shaky start.
“I’m happy I got in and contributed. I think I’m slowly getting back to the way I really play,” Olaguir said.
Caera Celis once again led Alas Girls with 15 points on 13 attacks and two blocks for her third straight game as the team’s top scorer. Sharina Rhyza Lleses added 10 points, all from attacks.
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