Alas Pilipinas finishes historic second in AVC Nations Cup

Alas Pilipinas players pose for a group photo after the awarding ceremony. | PNVF photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A resilient team, a patient coach, and a steady program came together to produce a silver medal that felt like gold.

The Philippine women’s volleyball team settled for second place in the 2024 AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup after falling to host Vietnam, 25-15, 25-17, 25-14, in Saturday night’s gold medal match in Hanoi.

Despite falling short of winning the coveted gold medal, the Alas Pilipinas women’s squad etched a historic feat in the Philippine volleyball history in their highest finish in this major international tournament.

“We’re happy with second place, we’re on the way,” said Brazilian head coach Jorge Souza De Brito. “It’s a process.”

Vietnam, ranked No. 25 in the world, was a tall order for the Filipinas, but the silver capped a strong run and a testament to the progress made since the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) took over in 2021.

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Alas Pilipinas finished with four wins and two defeats in the tournament with three individual awards earned by team captain Jia De Guzman as Best Setter, Angel Canino as the Best Outside Spiker, and Dell Palomata as the Best Middle Blocker.

Since 2021, the country has climbed from No. 156 to No. 58 in the world rankings under the FIVB-backed national program.

“This is a team and federation effort,” said PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara.

“The progress is clear,” he added.

Alas Pilipinas is composed of collegiate standouts from UAAP and pro spikers from the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) that includes Thea Gagate, the lone Cebuana in the roster. The rest of the players are Bella Belen, Shaina Nitura, Eya Laure, Vanie Gandler, Alyssa Solomon, Fifi Sharma, Julia Coronel, Dawn Catindig, Jen Nierva, and Cla Loresco.