ALAS Pilipinas swept Chinese Taipei 25-13, 25-21, 25-18 on Sunday, securing a perfect record in Pool A and advancing to the semifinals of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
After taking on supporting roles in the Philippines’ initial victories, Eya Laure's game-high 15 points on 12 attacks, two aces and one block alongside former Ateneo standouts Vanie Gandler (12 points) and Faith Nisperos (eight points) led the charge to complete pool play undefeated.
READ: La Salle, UST, Ateneo reunions strengthen Alas Pilipinas bond
Alas began its AVC campaign with consecutive four-set wins over Australia and India before dominating both Iran and Chinese Taipei in a victorious four-day stretch.
This top-seeded Philippine team is the first in the national federation’s 63-year history to reach an AVC-sanctioned semifinal. They will face Pool B’s No. 2-seed Kazakhstan in the knockout playoff round on Tuesday.
"Maiksi pa lang kasi 'yung time na nagkasama-sama kami pero kapag dumating 'yung time na mas mahaba na 'yung time na nagkaroon na kami ng bonding, ng jelling, mas mabubuo 'yung teamwork pa namin. 'Yung nakikita niyo ngayon, I think mas mahihigitan pa namin ‘to," Laure said.
"Sobrang proud ko sa naabot ng team namin. Hindi madali ang pinagdaanan namin at alam naming hindi magiging madali ‘yung pagdadaanan pa namin in the future kasi ibang level na rin ang semifinals. So, we’re just going in with a positive mindset," added team captain Jia de Guzman.
In a bid to maximize player rotations and rest key aces ahead of the playoffs, the starting trio of Angel Canino, Sisi Rondina and Fifi Sharma did not see action in Alas' pool play finale — paving the way for Gandler and Nisperos' extended minutes as the nationals' next-choice offensive weapons.
Thea Gagate, who sat out Alas' penultimate prelims win versus Iran, came back swinging with nine points on five attacks, three blocks and an ace as her La Salle teammate Julia Coronel and top-caliber Premier Volleyball League (PVL) middle blockers Cherry Nunag (four points) and Dell Palomata were all fielded.
A chance to etch their names further into the history books awaits as Alas shoots for a spot in the finals against the towering Kazakhs, ranked 30th in the world and fourth in Asia, with Asian powerhouses Vietnam and Australia duking it out in the other playoff match.
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