IT’S the women’s turn to take center stage in the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) V.League,, with the second leg kicking off on Aug. 8 in Ninh Binh, Vietnam.
- ALAS PILIPINAS vs VIETNAM: August 8 | Friday | 8 p.m.
- ALAS PILIPINAS vs THAILAND: August 9 | Saturday | 8 p.m.
- ALAS PILIPINAS vs INDONESIA: August 10 | Sunday | 5 p.m.
Alas Pilipinas is coming off another bronze-medal win in Leg 1 in Thailand, the country's third in a row since last year.
As far as recent competitions go, the Nationals settled for a fourth-place finish in the 2025 VTV Cup last July, succeeding its historic bronze-medal run at the 2025 AVC Nations Cup.
READ: Alas Pilipinas releases SEA Women's V.League 2025 line-up
Two different versions of the national team were fielded in both competitions.
The Nations Cup team was bannered by an array of college standouts, including Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, and Angel Canino, while the VTV Cup featured the Fil-American trio of Brooke Van Sickle, MJ Phillips, and Tia Andaya.
For the SEA V.League, here’s who’s in and out of the squad for both legs compared to last month’s VTV Cup team:
- RETURNEES: Angel Canino, Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, Shaina Nitura, Fifi Sharma, Vanie Gandler, Cla Loresco
- HOLDOVERS: Jia de Guzman (C), Eya Laure, Dawn Macandili-Catindig, Dell Palomata, Mars Alba, Maddie Madayag, Justine Jazareno
- RESERVES: Thea Gagate, Leila Cruz
- EXCLUSIONS: Brooke Van Sickle, MJ Phillips, Tia Andaya, Alleiah Malaluan, Amie Provido, Lams Lamina, Jen Nierva, Julia Coronel, Shevana Laput
Alas head coach Jorge Souza de Brito confirmed to SPIN.ph that Van Sickle, Phillips, and Andaya have all been ruled out for the tournament, as their federation shift paperwork continues to be processed.
But what’s at stake for the Filipinos in this year’s SEA V.League?
Ranking points and SEAG momentum
The Philippines will enter this year’s competition as four-time bronze medalists, having finished third in both legs of the 2024 SEA VL.
A repeat podium finish would carry extra weight from this year onwards with FIVB world ranking (WR) points in the offing.
Every tournament win adds WR points and every loss entails deductions, depending on the final match result and number of sets played.
Alas starts the competition as the world No. 47 with 71.78 WR points — eighth-best in Asia.
With the exact same opposition come the 33rd SEA Games in December, this competition will be the Philippines’ best first taste of what the competition will look like come the bi-annual regional meet.
Its bid to end a two-decade SEA Games medal drought, however, won’t be a cakewalk in the slightest.
For instance, the Philippines last defeated Thailand in competitive international play back in the 1993 gold medal match — roughly 32 years since.
While the country has had the better of Indonesia in past competitions, the star-studded Vietnam side led by Tranh Thi Thanh Thuy and Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen has been the nationals’ Achilles’ heel for a few years now.
That one-two punch denied the Filipinos AVC gold two months ago and, while also dealing them an opening-day loss in the VTV Cup.
History might favor Alas’ foes over the last few tournaments, but with the raw star power and brewing chemistry, claiming bigger scalps on the Asian stage will soon be a matter of when than if.
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