Alas Pilipinas falls to Australia in AVC thriller

Alas Pilipinas showed grit but fell just short against Australia, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-25, 11-15, in the 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup at the Candon City Arena on Sunday.

The Philippines recovered from a shaky opening set and moved within one set of a comeback victory before Australia steadied itself late to force a decider.

The loss dropped Alas Pilipinas to a 1-1 record in Group A.

“Lesson learned sa amin ‘to, and malaking tulong sa amin ‘to para sa mga susunod na games namin. Ready naman ‘yung team, kailangan lang namin mag-recover mabuti and paghahandaan namin sila,” interim head coach Shaq delos Santos said.

Alas was on the verge of a second straight win after taking the second and third sets, but Australia shifted gears in the fourth.

Trailing 4-5, the Filipinas were hit by a 20-6 Australian run that pushed the visitors to 24-11 before they closed the set and forced a fifth.

The hosts briefly fought back behind Jovelyn Gonzaga of ZUS Coffee, Ces Molina of Farm Fresh, and Ara Galang of Farm Fresh, trimming the gap with a 4-0 burst.

Australia opened the deciding set with a 7-4 lead before Alyssa Valdez sparked a 3-0 response that tied the frame at 7-all.

Errors hurt the Philippines in the closing stretch as Ella Schabort, Chloe Walker, and Lara Maric delivered key plays to seal Australia’s comeback.

Solomon led Alas Pilipinas with 23 points on 22 attacks and one block in her first outing of the competition.

Nina Ytang added 13 points on nine attacks, three aces, and one block.

Valdez of Creamline finished with 11 points, 12 excellent digs, and five excellent receptions.

Thea Gagate of ZUS Coffee chipped in seven markers, while Tubino added six points off the bench.

Caitlin O’Dea paced Australia with 17 points.

Maric added 16 points, while Schabort and Anni Tang scored 12 points each.

Alas Pilipinas will try to bounce back against Kyrgyzstan at 3 p.m. Monday at the same venue.