Alas Pilipinas falls to unbeaten South Korea

CANDON, Ilocos Sur — Alas Pilipinas faded late in the third set and absorbed a 25-16, 25-18, 25-22 loss to unbeaten South Korea in the 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup on Tuesday at the Candon City Arena.

The defeat dropped the Philippines to a 2-2 record in Pool A, while South Korea improved to 3-0 to tie Chinese Taipei at the top of the group.

Alas Pilipinas showed its strongest push in the third set, with veteran outside spiker Alyssa Valdez firing two straight aces to give the host side an 18-15 lead.

Young opposite hitter Alyssa Solomon stretched the advantage to 19-16 after scoring on a swipe from the right side.

But the world No. 39 Koreans answered with an 8-1 run to seize control of the set and the match.

The surge was fueled by four points from 28-year-old Sohwi Kang, whose down-the-line hit brought South Korea to match point, 24-20.

Alas Pilipinas tried to extend the match behind an Ara Galang attack and a Niña Ytang block.

Juah Lee ended the comeback bid with a running kill off a perfect toss from Dain Kim, completing South Korea’s sweep.

Thea Gagate led Alas Pilipinas with nine points.

Ytang added eight points, while Valdez and Solomon finished with seven markers each.

The result left the Philippines needing a stronger finish in the pool phase of the continental tournament.

The Asian Volleyball Confederation said the AVC Women’s Cup 2026 runs from June 6 to 14 in Candon City, Ilocos Sur, with 12 national teams competing for continental honors.

The AVC said Pool A is composed of the Philippines, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Australia, and Uzbekistan.

Pool B features Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Iran, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, and Lebanon, according to the AVC.

In Pool B, Iran barged into the win column after routing Lebanon, 25-9, 25-8, 25-15.

Fatemeh Khalili Chermahini was the lone player in double digits with 10 points for Iran.

The victory gave the Iranians their first win in Pool B.

Lebanon remained winless at 0-3 in the tournament presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, FIVB, AVC, Volleyball World, and Candon City, led by Mayor Eric Singson.

In another Pool A match, Chinese Taipei swept Uzbekistan, 25-17, 25-13, 25-15.

The win pushed Chinese Taipei to 3-0 and kept it on top of Pool A alongside South Korea.