ALAS Pilipinas kept its semifinals hopes alive with an all-important 25-17, 25-21, 25-18 win over New Zealand in the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup on Wednesday in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Alyssa Solomon made her on-court return as a starter after a one-game absence in the loss to Iran with a sprained left ankle.
The former National U standout posted 11 points on nine attacks, two aces and one block.
Mainstays Eya Laure and Vanie Gandler topscored for the nationals with 12 markers each as the UAAP star duo of Angel Canino and Shaina Nitura did not see action along with a brief one-set cameo for Bella Belen.
Far Eastern University sophomore middle blocker Cla Loresco earned her first minutes for the national team upon starting in Thea Gagate’s place.
It took a 6-1 run in the first frame and a five-point second set-clinching blitz for Alas to gain much-needed separation before fending off a late comeback bid from the Kiwis in the third set to secure the win.
It’s all to play for in Pool B as Kazakhstan (4-0), Iran (3-1) and the Philippines (3-1) are still in the running for the two semifinals spots on the final day of pool play.
Alas to pull out all stops vs. Kazakhstan
A win for the Philippines against Kazakhstan, as tough an ordeal as it might be, will hand the nationals first place in the pool and a prospective date with Chinese Taipei for a spot in the finals.
Depending on how the statistical tiebreak metrics play out, including match points and set ratio, a second-place pool play finish for the Philippines could set up a powerhouse semis clash with Asian giant Vietnam.
In the event that the Philippines loses to Kazakhstan, it must hope for a Mongolia win over Iran regardless of how many sets it will take to still advance to the next round.
Giving Alas added hope for a breakthrough win over the Kazakhs, their semis tormentor in last year's tournament, is the late injury of its star winger Sana Anarkulova in their penultimate pool play win over Iran.
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