ALAS Pilipinas is off to a flyer in the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup with a 25-18, 25-16, 25-14 beating of Mongolia in its Pool B opener on Saturday in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The Philippines relied on two national mainstays to put the newcomers away in Vanie Gandler and Angel Canino who established a steady one-two punch even as the Mongolians kept themselves within striking distance all-match long.
READ: Cruz, Lamina the last two cuts in Alas' roster for 'Nations Cup'
Jorge Souza de Brito opted to field last year’s holdovers for the most part in the match, with Gandler and Canino joining Eya Laure, Thea Gagate, Dell Palomata, Jen Nierva and captain Jia de Guzman, with 12 digs and 10 receptions, as his go-to unit.
Reigning UAAP Rookie of the Year Shaina Nitura was the lone debutant to see action in the tournament opener where she was fielded in the closing stretch of the match and added a point and an excellent reception to her name.
In last year’s Challenge Cup, the competition’s former branding, the Philippines swept all four of its pool play matches on home soil before getting swept by eventual silver medalist Kazakhstan in the semifinals.
The nationals will get their shot at redemption over the Kazakhs in their final pool play match five days from now, but must first get the better of a familiar foe in Indonesia on Sunday, 1:30 p.m. Manila time.
Gandler showed the way with 16 points, five digs and three receptions as Canino dished out 11 points and five digs.
Eya Laure’s first competitive match in almost a year saw her pitch in seven markers.
Backing them on the scoring front is a treble of six-point outputs from three-time UAAP MVP Bella Belen off the bench and middle blockers Thea Gagate and Dell Palomata.
The match saw a recurring trend unravel from start to finish — close openers and unassailable set-clinching Alas scoring runs.
It was a hat-trick of 9-3 set-clinching blitzes in all three frames that fueled the nationals’ swift shutout of Mongolia on opening day to set the tone early for their repeat podium bid.
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