Despite a spirited third-set surge, Alas Pilipinas Women fell short once again, absorbing a 13-25, 21-25, 25-23, 9-25 defeat at the hands of Vietnam in the 2025 Southeast Asia V.League first leg on Saturday afternoon.
The Nationals, sluggish in the opening two frames, found renewed life in the third behind timely scoring and hustle plays. But the early setbacks proved costly, placing them in a must-win scenario against Indonesia tomorrow at 2:30 PM to keep their hopes alive for a third consecutive SEA V.League bronze medal.
Before Alas Women can even entertain thoughts of a podium finish, they must first hope that Thailand defeats Indonesia convincingly later tonight at 6:00 PM to avoid complications in the virtual race for third place.
(C) SAVA
The loss also extended the Nationals’ struggles against Vietnam this year, marking their third consecutive defeat to the Vietnamese following losses in the AVC Nations Cup Final and the VTV Cup.
In the third set, the Nationals once again started flat, falling behind 5-10. However, a series of Vietnam miscues coupled with Vanie Gandler’s offensive spark enabled them to claw back and take a 15-13 lead.
The set turned into a seesaw battle until Eya Laure, Dell Palomata, and a Vietnam service error fueled a 4-2 closing run that broke a 21-all tie and pushed the match into a fourth set.
But Vietnam came out firing in the fourth, clearly eager to silence any hopes of a comeback. A crafty 1-2 play by Đoàn Thị Lâm Oanh, back-to-back aces from Nguyễn Thị Bích Tuyền, and a solid block from Trần Thị Bích Thủy buried the Philippines in an early 3-11 hole.
This time, there was no rally to be had. The Vietnamese sustained their momentum with three straight hits from Nguyễn Thị Uyên to close out the match and hand Alas Women their second straight loss.
(C) SAVA
In the second set, Vietnam pulled ahead 19-13, but Alas mounted a brief run behind Laure, Gandler, and Leila Cruz to cut the deficit to 19-22. Still, the Vietnamese remained composed, finishing the set with a sharp down-the-line hit from Trần Thị Thanh Thúy, then a swipe by Nguyễn Thị Uyên.
A quick from Trần Thị Bích Thủy let them take a commanding two-set advantage.
It was a far cry from the Nationals’ promising start against Thailand yesterday. This time, they struggled to find their rhythm early, trailing 8-17 in the opening set before ultimately folding, 13-25.
With the win, Vietnam improved to 2-0 and secured at least a top-two finish heading into a potential gold medal showdown against host Thailand tomorrow at 6:00 PM.
