Alas Women finally broke through in the 2026 SEA V Cup second leg in emphatic fashion, taking down Vietnam for the first time in seven years, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-22, on Saturday at the Chiang Mai Stadium in Thailand.
The victory marked the Philippine women’s national volleyball team’s first win over Vietnam since October 4, 2019, when the Filipinas swept the Vietnamese, 25-21, 25-23, 25-21, in the second leg of the then-ASEAN Grand Prix.
The Philippines was then led by Alyssa Valdez, Ces Molina, Mylene Paat, and Majoy Baron, along with current Alas Pilipinas members Jia de Guzman and Dawn Macandili-Catindig.
This time around, the Nationals leaned on Eya Laure, Alyssa Solomon, Bella Belen, Thea Gagate, and Dell Palomata on the scoring front, while De Guzman continued to orchestrate the offense.
After dropping a tight opening set, 22-25, Alas Pilipinas battled back in the second behind Laure, Gagate, Solomon, and Palomata to level the match at one set apiece, 25-23. The Philippines then carried that momentum into the third set, opening up a commanding 18-8 lead that proved insurmountable despite Vietnam’s late fightback, 25-21.
Vietnam appeared poised to force a deciding fifth set after erasing a 19-22 deficit in the fourth. The comeback began with a service error from Mars Alba, followed by back-to-back conversions from Pham Quynh Huong that tied the set.
However, the Philippines responded with one final run. Belen put Alas back in front with a hit through the blockers before Laure delivered an off-the-block kill to bring the Nationals to match point.
Laure then came up huge on the defensive end, correctly anticipating Tran Thi Bich Thuy’s slide attack to seal the emotional victory.
The win moved Alas Pilipinas to an even 1-1 record in the second leg while handing Vietnam its second straight loss after it was also upset by Indonesia on Friday.
It was likewise the Philippines’ first victory in this year’s SEA V Cup after the Nationals went winless in the opening leg.
Laure unleashed 22 points, while Solomon backed her with 17 points on 15 attacks and two aces.
Belen also delivered a big performance with 16 points on 12 attacks, three blocks, and an ace, while Gagate found her groove with 10 points, including six blocks. That was already more than the nine points she had scored across her previous four games, including the first leg.
Palomata also came up big off the bench with nine points on five attacks and four blocks.
The Nationals will look to secure a podium finish on Sunday when they face Indonesia at 2:00 PM (Manila time).
Tran Thi Thanh Thuy led Vietnam with 25 points, while Huong added 14.
