ALAS Pilipinas Women will march into the 2026 AVC Women's Cup with a roster blending established stars, rising standouts and a team trying to navigate one of the most turbulent periods in Philippine volleyball history.
The national team’s final 14-player lineup was released in the tournament’s official site ahead of the tournament opener against Uzbekistan on Saturday in Candon City, with veterans Alyssa Valdez, Ara Galang, Tots Carlos and Jovelyn Gonzaga leading the charge.
READ: UP reunion at Alas as Dongallo, Bansil join Ytang, Carlos in pool
Joining them in the outside hitter rotation are Ces Molina and Royse Tubino, while former consensus No. 1 PVL Draft prospect Alyssa Solomon headlines the opposite hitter position alongside Gonzaga.
The middle blocker pool will feature one of the tournament's youngest stars in Thea Gagate together with Cla Loresco and UP standout Niña Ytang, who recently withdrew from the PVL Draft to prioritize national team duties.
Kyle Negrito and Tin Ubaldo will orchestrate the offense as setters, while Alyssa Eroa and Kyla Atienza anchor the backline as liberos.
All of these come amid unprecedented uncertainty surrounding the national volleyball program after the suspension of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation by the FIVB, followed by funding issues involving the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee's decision to take a more active role in safeguarding the country's international volleyball commitments.
Despite the off-court turbulence, Alas Women remains committed to its AVC Women's Cup campaign, with several players foregoing professional opportunities to remain available for national team service.
Among them are Solomon and Ytang, who withdrew from the recent PVL Rookie Draft to focus on international duties as ‘full-time national team players.’
The Philippines will open its campaign against Uzbekistan on Saturday before taking on the rest of Pool A which features Chinese-Taipei, Korea, Kyrgyzstan and Australia in its bid to build on the program's recent gains on the continental stage.
For now, the focus shifts from boardrooms and federation controversies back to the court, where Alas Women hopes to let its volleyball do the talking.
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