CANDON, Ilocos Sur – Alas Pilipinas team captain Alyssa Valdez admitted that the hastily formed squad still has plenty of work to do as it looks to clean up errors and steady its play in its 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup, presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, campaign.
The Philippines appeared on course for a second consecutive win on Sunday after recovering from an opening-set setback against Australia. But the team eventually faded in the final two frames and surrendered a five-set defeat.
“Sayang, but we know na madami pa talaga kaming kailangan matutunan as a team,” said the 32-year-old Valdez after the 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-25, 11-15 loss at the Candon City Arena.
The Philippines showed steady execution through the first three sets, but unraveled in the last two. It finished with 30 errors that proved costly in its first defeat in the tournament co-presented by the FIVB, AVC, Volleyball World, and Candon City under Mayor Eric Singson.
The miscues proved decisive in the closing stretch of the fifth set. Kyle Negrito committed a costly service error that handed Australia match point, before Royse Tubino followed with a net touch that sealed the win for the Australians.
Still, Valdez — who helped spark Alas Pilipinas’ fightback in the fifth set after a slow start — remained confident the team can rebound. She stressed that the team can still take valuable lessons from the loss.
“Ang dami naming lapses in terms of small balls, lalo na mga free balls na minsan lang namin makukuha sa ganitong tournament. So we hope na mas ma-polish namin ’yun at mas ma-correct sa trainings namin,” said the three-time PVL MVP, who finished with 11 points and 12 digs.
“Hopefully habang tumatagal yung tournament, mas marami kaming ma-apply sa mga upcoming games namin.”
The Philippines will try to bounce back and vent its frustration against Kyrgyzstan on Monday at 3:00 PM at the same venue.
