POLOMOLOK, South Cotabato — Alas Pilipinas showed plenty of promise but ultimately bowed to Vietnam in four sets, 27-29, 17-25, 25-20, 19-25, to open its 2026 SEA V Cup campaign on Friday at the Dong Anh Gymnasium.
Coming off a convincing third-set victory, the Philippines failed to sustain its momentum in the fourth as Vietnam unleashed a blistering 9-1 run behind the returning Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, who sat out the previous frame. The surge turned a slim 14-10 advantage into a commanding 19-11 lead.
The two teams traded points the rest of the way, but Alas Pilipinas could not string together enough stops to mount a serious comeback.
(C) SAVA
The Filipinas made one last push with a 4-1 run sparked by Bella Belen and Thea Gagate to cut the deficit to 24-19. However, Tran Thi Bich Thuy slammed the door shut with a running attack to seal the match.
The Philippines pushed Vietnam to the limit in the opening set and appeared poised to seize the early advantage before the hosts escaped with the extended-frame victory.
Erika Santos and Bella Belen delivered back-to-back kills to give Alas Pilipinas the first set point at 24-23, but Nguyen Thi Uyen responded immediately with a cross-court attack to force deuce.
The Filipinas regained the set-point advantage behind a Dell Palomata attack, but Vietnam refused to back down, earning two set points of its own before converting on its third opportunity.
Tran Thi Bich Thuy ignited the decisive run with a quick attack, while Tran Thi Thanh Thuy stuffed Alyssa Solomon at the net to complete the comeback and hand Vietnam the opening set.
Riding the momentum from its hard-fought first-set triumph, Vietnam took control early in the second frame and never looked back. The hosts stretched their lead to 17-11 after a Vanie Gandler service error before cruising to the set with an almost flawless performance, committing just three errors to move within one set of victory.
(C) SAVA
With Tran Thi Thanh Thuy resting in the third set, Alas Pilipinas capitalized on the opportunity. The Filipinas broke the set open with a 4-0 run fueled by Belen, stretching a narrow 18-16 lead to 22-16 before Belen finished off the frame to force a fourth set.
Vietnam regained control in the fourth as the return of Tran Thi Thanh Thuy proved pivotal, spoiling the Philippines’ comeback bid.
Alas Pilipinas will look to bounce back against Thailand on Saturday at 5 p.m. as it seeks to keep its medal hopes alive in the four-team tournament.
