Alas Pilipinas Women ran into a wall too high to scale on Saturday night.
The Philippines’ historic run came to a heartbreaking end after falling to a taller, more seasoned Vietnam squad in straight sets, 15-25, 17-25, 14-25, in the 2025 AVC Women’s Nations Cup Final at the Doang Anh Gymnasium in Hanoi.
Despite the loss, it was a landmark campaign for the Filipinas — surpassing last year’s bronze finish and marking the country’s highest placement in an AVC tournament in 64 years.
It was also the Philippines’ first silver medal in an international volleyball competition since the 1997 Southeast Asian Games.
Coming off a grueling five-set victory over Chinese Taipei that secured their historic finals berth, Alas Pilipinas faced a harsh reality check — outclassed by a well-oiled Vietnamese side anchored by the explosive duo of Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen and Tran Thi Thanh Thuy.
Thanh Thuy and Bich Tuyen wasted no time asserting their dominance, combining for 16 points in the opening set alone — 10 from the towering outside spiker and six from the high-flying opposite.
Vietnam set the tone early, punishing the Philippines with their relentless pace, power, and precision.
Alas head coach Jorge Souza de Brito tried to spark a rally, shuffling his rotation and inserting Angel Canino, Shaina Nitura, and Vanie Gandler in an effort to revive the Philippines’ fading gold medal hopes.
But the Vietnamese machine proved too formidable, completing a six-game sweep of the tournament in just one hour and four minutes.
With the win, Vietnam clinched its third straight Nations Cup title and punched its ticket to next year’s Asian Championship.
Bich Tuyen led all scorers with 20 points built on 16 attacks, two service aces, and two kill blocks. Meanwhile, Thanh Thuy tallied 17 markers off 13 attacks, three blocks, and a service ace, along with seven excellent digs and five excellent receptions.
Nguyen Thi Uyen and Tran Thi Bich Thuy chipped in 10 and nine points, respectively, in a well-balanced offensive effort.
On the other side, no Filipina breached double figures in scoring.
Alyssa Solomon led Alas Pilipinas with eight points, while Shaina Nitura provided a late spark off the bench, scoring all six of her points in the third set.
Angel Canino and Fifi Sharma each added four, while Eya Laure, the hero of the semifinal win against Chinese Taipei, was limited to just three points.
Bella Belen, another key contributor throughout the tournament, was held to a solitary marker in the tough loss.
