It was a bronze medal for Alas Pilipinas, the motley squad of college and professional volleyball players handpicked by national team coach Jorge Sousa de Brito, at the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup but it surely feels more like gold.
In the battle for third on Wednesday at the jam packed Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Alas Pilipinas beat Australia in straight sets, 25-23, 25-15, 25-7, a triumph that is potentially a seminal moment for the sport that has always taken a back seat to basketball.
Team captain Jia Morado-de Guzman, high-flying hitter Sisi Rondina, and libero Dawn Macandili—no one among them taller than 5 foot 7 inches, led the way for Alas Pilipinas’ historic podium finish in any Asian Volleyball Confederation organized competition or any international tournament for that matter.
What was impressive about Alas Pilipinas dominating finish is that it came less than 24 hours after a sorry loss against the taller and higher-ranked team from Kazakhstan, and with just two weeks preparation.
Rondina, who stands 5 foot 6 inches, delivered the last two points of the match—point 24 on a miscue and an empathic down the line hit to seal the deal.
Among the young guns, UAAP rookie MVP Angel Canino and her De La Salle University teammate Fifi Sharma and Thea Gagate and spiker Eya Laure of University of Santo Tomas delivered big guns all throughout the tournament. Canino top scored in the bronze medal match with 22 attack points.
“This is a collective effort. I couldn’t have done it by myself. Everyone did their roles. Every player on the court and on the bench, all of the coaching staff, everyone was in sync,” said Morado-de Guzman during a post-game interview. “To all the Filipino fans, para sa inyo itong panalo na ito….sobrang salamat sa inyong lahat,” she added.
Both Philippines and Australia improved from their respective 7th and 6th in last year’s AVC Challenge Cup finish. Alas Pilipinas’ performance in the Manila tournament improved to 55th place from 63rd in the global volleyball organization FIVB’s ranking and rose to 8th place in Asia from 12th.
The AVC Challenge Cup served as the Philippine national women’s volleyball team’s preparation for next year’s Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
