Alas Pilipinas Girls closed out their historic FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship campaign on a high note, defeating Czechia, 21-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-22, on Sunday at Parque Estadio Nacional.
The victory secured the Philippines a 15th-place finish and capped a tournament in which the team reached the Round of 16, marking the country’s best finish in any volleyball world championship.
Ranked No. 25 entering the tournament, Alas Pilipinas proved it could compete with higher-ranked teams, defeating world No. 8 Mexico in four sets and sweeping No. 20 Tunisia during the group stage.
The Philippines advanced to the Round of 16 with a 2-3 record before falling to Korea.
Caera Celis led the way against Czechia with 25 points and finished the tournament averaging 18 points per match. She also tallied 162 total points, tied for the third-highest mark in the tournament, and 141 attack points, good for fourth overall.
“We learned a lot from every game, even when we made mistakes,” Celis said. “But the victories were for sure the most fun we had here.”
Xyz Rayco also made her mark with 38 successful receptions, tied for ninth-best in the tournament, while Nadeth Herbon recorded 95 digs to rank 11th overall. Irish Mahinay added 15 aces, tied for the sixth-most in the competition.
With Celis, Rayco, Herbon, Mahinay, Jhaynna Bulandres, Khaira Manzano, Madele Gale, Megan Hernandez, Rhyza Lleses, Resty Olaguir, and the rest of the squad, Alas Pilipinas Girls left the tournament having made history and raised the bar for Philippine volleyball on the world stage.
