ANOTHER home tournament miracle wasn’t meant to be.
Alas Pilipinas bowed out of the the 2024 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Challenger Cup with a straight-sets 14-25, 22-25, 21-25 loss to Vietnam in the knockout quarterfinals on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
READ: Jia re-assures Alas Pilipinas fans amid roster uproar
Dropping the win-or-go home tournament opener marked the end of Alas’ bid to qualify for the 2025 edition of the Volleyball Nations League, just weeks after a historic bronze medal finish in the AVC Challenge Cup.
But as was the case last month, the Challenge Cup’s best player of the tournament in Thi Bich Tuyen Nguyen could not be stopped and lit Vietnam’s offense alight right from the get-go with 30 points on 27 attacks and three blocks.
Sisi Rondina's 15 attacks and Angel Canino's 12 markers paced what turned out to be the nationals' one-and-done match.
Although held to just five excellent sets, team captain Jia de Guzman still held the team together in the face of adversity — one she hopes the national federation will also do.
READ: Kapitana Jia pleads for long-term, big picture thinking for Alas
Starting spiker Bella Belen (two points, five receptions, and six digs) and reserve service specialist Jema Galanza (one reception) treaded tricky paths in their Alas debuts with minimal scoring outputs.
Ace Vietnamese captain Tran Thi Thanh Thúy played her first game back in the Philippines after not seeing action in the Challenge Cup with a quick two-point contribution.
Focus now shifts to the two-leg Southeast Asian (SEA) V.League for the nationals on August 2 to 4 in Vietnam and August 9 to 11 in Thailand.
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