CANDON, Ilocos Sur – Alas Pilipinas fought back from a slow start but ultimately ran out of steam, falling to Australia in five sets, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-25, 11-15, to absorb its first loss in the 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup, presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, at the Candon City Arena here on Sunday.
The Philippines recovered from a rough opening frame and appeared poised to complete a comeback, but failed to close out the match as the Australians held firm in the final two sets to secure the victory.
“Lesson learned sa amin ‘to, and malaking tulong sa amin ‘to para sa mga susunod na games namin. Ready naman ‘yung team, kailangan lang namin mag-recover mabuti and paghahandaan namin sila,” said Alas Pilipinas interim head coach Shaq delos Santos.
A set away from what could have been a second straight win, No. 48 Philippines was overpowered by No. 79 Australia in the fourth frame, where it turned a 4-5 deficit into a commanding 24-11 lead behind a blistering 20-6 run.
Alas Pilipinas, led by Jovelyn Gonzaga, Ces Molina, and Ara Galang, responded with a 4-0 run to stay alive before the Australians forced a deciding fifth set, briefly reigniting hopes of carrying momentum into the finale.
However, the surge proved short-lived.
Australia raced to a 7-4 start in the fifth set, immediately seizing control of the decider before Alyssa Valdez sparked a response with back-to-back hits in a 3-0 run that tied the score at 7-all.
A series of errors followed for the host team, but Valdez once again came through, before an Ella Schabort attack went long, putting the Philippines back behind, 9-10.
That proved to be the turning point, as Schabort teamed up with Chloe Walker and Lara Maric to ignite a decisive 3-0 run for a 13-9 lead. From there, Australia closed out the hard-fought win following a Royse Tubino net touch.
The loss dropped the Philippines to 1-1 in Group A of the tournament co-presented by the FIVB, AVC, Volleyball World, and Candon City headed by Mayor Eric Singson, and also spoiled the debut of Alyssa Solomon.
Solomon, who sat out the team’s opening-day sweep of Uzbekistan, delivered 23 points on 22 attacks and one block to lead the new-look Alas Pilipinas.
Nina Ytang finished in double figures anew with 13 points on nine attacks, three aces, and one block, while Valdez added 11 points, 12 excellent digs, and five excellent receptions.
Thea Gagate chipped in seven points, while Tubino added six off the bench. Molina and Gonzaga, key figures in the team’s win over Uzbekistan, were limited to just three points each.
The Philippines will look to bounce back against Kyrgyzstan on Monday at 3 p.m. at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Caitlin O’Dea led Australia with 17 points on 14 attacks and three kill blocks, while Lara Maric added 16 markers.
Schabort and Anni Tang finished with 12 points apiece, and Chloe Walker contributed 10 points on six attacks and four kill blocks.
