The Philippines advanced to the final of the 2025 Asian Volleyball Confederation Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup in Hanoi after a thrilling five-set victory over Chinese-Taipei — a result that propelled the country further up the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball world rankings.
From No. 56 prior to the tournament, the Philippines soared 10 places to No. 46 following its hard-fought 25-17, 25-21, 18-25, 15-25, 15-12 win over the resilient Taiwanese squad at the Dong Anh Arena.
This historic ascent for Alas Pilipinas was also powered by earlier victories against Mongolia, New Zealand, and Kazakhstan.
Now, the Filipinas are set to face host nation and defending champion Vietnam in the gold medal match on Saturday at 9:00 PM (Manila time).
“The program is working,” said Ramon “Tats” Suzara, president of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation, who also serves as AVC president and FIVB executive vice president, giving thanks to all the stakeholders of the federations, including the PVL and the UAAP.
“The past three years have been all about progress for our national program across all disciplines — volleyball and beach volleyball — thanks to the unwavering support of our stakeholders.”
Since Suzara and the PNVF took over in 2021, the Philippines has climbed dramatically in the FIVB rankings.
From a distant No. 156 out of 222 nations, the women’s team rose to No. 66 by 2023.
A bronze medal finish in last year’s Nations Cup held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum pushed the country further up to No. 58.
Now, the Filipinas have a chance to scale even higher — especially if they can overcome Vietnam in the final.
Brazilian head coach Jorge Souza De Brito, who has led the national team program for the past three years, praised the team’s grit and composure.
“We knew the semifinals would be tough, and Chinese-Taipei really made us work for every point,” he said.
“But we also knew we had only one shot to reach the final. I’m proud and very thankful for the girls.”
