Alas Pilipinas’ combination plays kept India at bay, leading to a 22-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-18 victory, to remain unbeaten in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Challenge Cup for Women on Friday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
For 104 minutes, the attacks and defensive plays of outside hitters Angel Canino and Eya Laure gained crucial points for Alas Pilipinas, marking their second consecutive win after beating Australia on Thursday.
The 5’11” Canino scored 22 points, while Laure added 17 points, propelling Alas Pilipinas to the solo lead in Pool A and pushing India to second place with a 2-1 record.
Canino, a standout from the La Salle Lady Spikers, led the team with four successive hits in the second set, ending it 25-21 and leveling the match at 1-1.
The 5’8” Laure, also an outside hitter, spearheaded the team’s offense with 17 points, making a significant impact in the fourth set. She scored five points during a decisive 10-3 run, ensuring Alas Pilipinas stayed ahead for good.
Angel Canino, Thea Gagate, and Fifi Sharma took turns in preventing India from gaining a significant lead after dominating the first set.
“Every time we play here, I’m sure we’re going to show something better,” said Alas Pilipinas coach Jorge Souze de Brito.
The Filipinas, set to face Iran on Saturday night, saw Sisi Rondina, Laure, and Gagate lead a 6-1 surge in the third set, breaking a 5-all tie and giving the team an 11-6 advantage.
Earlier, Vietnam secured their third straight win in Group B, defeating a tall Kazakhstan squad in four sets, 25-14, 25-19, 14-25, 25-23. Opposite spiker Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen scored 30 points, with 26 from attacks, along with three blocks and one service ace.
Iran rallied past Chinese Taipei, 24-26, 25-20, 25-18, 28-26, achieving a 1-1 record in Pool A on Friday and bouncing back from their 17-25, 23-25, 21-25 loss to India on opening day. Aytak Salamat delivered 23 points, 22 from attacks, and Shadehsari Poorsaleh had 18 kills for Iran, who will face host Philippines on Saturday at 7 p.m.
