CANDON CITY, Ilocos Sur – Alas Pilipinas bounced back in emphatic fashion on Monday, dominating Kyrgyzstan in straight sets, 25-9, 25-11, 25-17, to return to the win column in the 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup presented by the Philippines Sports Commission at the Candon City Arena here.
After letting a 2-1 set lead slip away in a heartbreaking five-set loss to Australia a day earlier, the Philippines made sure there would be no repeat of that collapse. The team imposed its will from the opening whistle to secure its second win and improve to 2-1 in Pool A.
Ranked No. 46 in the world, Alas Pilipinas leaned on a balanced offensive effort led by Thea Gagate, Jovelyn Gonzaga, and team captain Alyssa Valdez. It asserted dominance above the net while capitalizing on superior blocking and attacking firepower to overwhelm No. 42 Kyrgyzstan.
Coming off lopsided wins in the first two sets, the Philippines surged to a blistering 7-0 run in the third before interim head coach Shaq delos Santos turned to his second unit to close out the match.
The reserves — led by Cla Loresco, Ara Galang, and Alyssa Solomon — maintained control, stretching the lead to 22-12 before sealing the dominant victory, which lasted just one hour.
Gagate delivered her best performance of the tournament, finishing with a game-high 11 points on eight attacks, two blocks, and one ace. Gonzaga added 10 points on eight attacks and two blocks after being held to just three markers in the loss against Australia.
“Inisip lang namin ‘yung mga lapses namin nung last game, and ginawan lang namin ng paraan para maka-recover and mabalik ‘yung kumpyansa ng bawat isa,” Gagate said.
Valdez chipped in nine points, while Ces Molina — who also saw herself limited to just three in their previous match — contributed eight markers along with nine excellent digs in the Philippines’ bounce-back win in the tournament co-presented by the FIVB, AVC, Volleyball World, and Candon City headed by Mayor Eric Singson.
The balanced attack also saw Niña Ytang add six points, while Loresco and setter Kyle Negrito each finished with four markers.
The Philippines will look to strengthen its semifinal bid when it faces Asian powerhouse South Korea on Tuesday at 3:00 PM at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Aiturgan Aitbekova led Kyrgyzstan with four points. Raiana Baiamanova and Gulmira Tulenova had three points apiece in the loss that dropped them to 0-2.
