Alas Pilipinas Girls’ spirited run in the 2nd Asian Women’s U16 Volleyball Championship came to an end after falling to a powerhouse Chinese Taipei side, 14-25, 21-25, 15-25, in the Final Eight round on Wednesday at the Prince Hamzah Sports Hall.
Team captain Xyz Rayco once again led the young Filipinas’ offense, finishing with 12 points—all from attacks.
Rayco sparked the team’s second-set rally that saw them take a 17-12 lead, but the Philippines could not sustain the momentum and was ultimately overpowered by Chinese Taipei. Top scorer Chen Tingyi, limited to just four points in the first two sets, caught fire in the third set and finished with 12 points.
“It’s a bit disappointing because we really prepared for this game, but it didn’t turn out the way we hoped,” said Rayco. “Still, we’re grateful because we gave our best despite the result.”
After a lopsided first set in which Chinese Taipei scored seven of its 10 aces, Alas Pilipinas started strong in the second, opening with a 4-0 run before Rayco extended the lead to 17-12. However, the Taiwanese team mounted a 6-0 run, capped by Chan Tzuyun’s kill, to regain control.
Despite a brief Filipino rally, Chinese Taipei closed out the set with Chan and Chang Yunchen delivering the decisive points to take a two-set advantage.
“The team’s energy kind of died down,” said Alas coach Edwin Leyva. “I told them that volleyball is a game of emotion and momentum. When we’re happy and communicating, that’s when we play our best. Unfortunately, our energy dropped during crucial points. Some of the younger players were also dealing with minor aches, but overall, they performed really well. We just came up short.”
Chan and Chang Yunchen led the scoring for Chinese Taipei with 18 and 17 points, respectively, as the team improved to 2-0 in Pool F.
They joined Japan—which swept Thailand 25-19, 25-16, 25-19—as the two semifinalists.
Both teams also secured spots in next year’s FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship in Chile as Final Four finishers in the Asian U16 tournament.
Composed mostly of first-time national team players from various provinces, the young Alas Pilipinas squad earned its Final Eight berth after sweeping Iran and carried over a single loss from an earlier four-set defeat to defending champion Japan.
Nadeth Herbon added 11 points, while setter Jane Olaguir contributed four assists while running the plays. Libero Frances Ramos anchored the defense with 15 digs.
The Philippines will wrap up its Final Eight campaign against Thailand at 4 p.m. (Philippine time) on Thursday before moving on to the classification round for fifth to eighth places.
