Last year, Alas Pilipinas Women broke barriers by reaching their first-ever semifinal in an Asian Volleyball Confederation-sanctioned tournament.
This year, they soared even higher — clinching a historic spot in the finals.
Eya Laure came through in the clutch as the Filipinas outlasted a resilient Chinese Taipei squad in a thrilling five-set battle, 25-17, 25-21, 18-25, 15-25, 15-12, to secure a landmark finals berth at the 2025 AVC Women’s Nations Cup, Friday at the Doang Anh Gymnasium in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Alas looked poised for a sweep after taking the first two sets, but Chinese Taipei launched a furious comeback. The opponents dominated the third and fourth frames, forcing a deciding fifth set with a 10-point blowout in the fourth.
The fifth set began ominously for the Philippines as Chen Chieh, Liu Shuang Ling, and Chang Yi-Chi powered Chinese Taipei to an early 5–3 lead. But an untimely attack error by Liu cracked the door open for the Filipinas.
Then came the turning point.
Bella Belen, Fifi Sharma, and Laure — who had seen little to no action in the first four sets — joined forces for a blistering 7–2 run that swung the momentum and lifted Alas to a 10–7 lead in the decider.
Chinese Taipei refused to go quietly. A service error by Sharma and a massive block by Kan Ko-Hui on Laure trimmed the gap to just one.
But Laure quickly made amends, scoring twice in a decisive 3–0 surge that included a booming ace from captain Jia De Guzman, extending the lead to 13–9.
Chen and Chang struck back with back-to-back kills to pull Chinese Taipei within two, 13–11.
But Laure, rising to the occasion once more, fired a sharp cross-court hit to bring the Philippines to match point.
Chang answered with a blistering strike that pierced the back row to keep Chinese Taipei alive, setting the stage for a fierce, drawn-out rally.
Belen then delivered what appeared to be a match-ending crosscourt shot off Yeh Yu-Wen’s block. The initial call awarded the point to Chinese Taipei, but Alas challenged — and the replay showed Yeh had made contact.
Point, Philippines. Match, Philippines. Finals, Philippines.
It marked the country’s first-ever finals appearance in an AVC-sanctioned event, and its first finals berth in a major international tournament since the 1997 Southeast Asian Games.
Laure, despite limited minutes early on, answered the call when it mattered most. She dropped nine points, six of them in the final set, to help carry Alas across the finish line of the one-hour and 54-minute classic.
Belen, absent in last year’s tournament, more than made up for lost time. She delivered a game-high 15 points along with 16 excellent digs and 19 excellent receptions in a standout all-around performance.
Alyssa Solomon also stepped up with 12 points built on nine attacks, two blocks, and an ace.
Sharma turned in her best outing of the tournament with 10 markers from five attacks, three kill blocks, and two aces.
Angel Canino added nine points, along with seven excellent digs and nine receptions.
Awaiting the Filipinas in the gold medal match is host nation and regional powerhouse Vietnam.
The highly anticipated final is set for Saturday at 9:00 PM.
On the other side, Chen Chieh led Chinese Taipei with a valiant triple-double of 19 points, 13 digs, and 11 receptions.
Liu chipped in 17 points, while Chang added 14. However, it wasn’t enough to keep their gold medal hopes alive. They’ll now face Kazakhstan in the battle for bronze.
