The future of Philippine volleyball just got a thunderous spike of hope on Saturday night in Jordan.
The girls of Alas Pilipinas pulled off a showstopper on Saturday night in Amman, toppling Thailand in four tightly contested sets, 25-23, 25-20, 19-25, 25-22, to grab fifth place in the 2025 AVC Asian Women’s U16 Championship — and, with it, the final golden ticket to the 2026 FIVB U17 World Championship in Santiago, Chile.
From the streets of the provinces to the courts of Jordan, these teenagers stitched together a dream and made it real. The Philippines will now march alongside Asia’s volleyball royalty — China, Japan, Korea, and Chinese Taipei — when the world gathers in Chile next year.
Team captain and opposite hitter Xyz Ellen Rayco played like she was born for the big stage, hammering 30 points built on 25 kills, four blocks, and an ace. When the fourth set tightened, she closed shop herself, firing the team’s final three points like exclamation marks.
Outside spiker Nadeth Faye Herbon backed her up with 16 points, while middle blocker Cristina Madele Gale turned into a human wall with 11 points, five of them off kill blocks that froze the Thais mid-attack.
Redemption was sweet. Thailand had kicked the Filipinas out in the quarterfinals, but this time, Alas came swinging — sharper, braver, louder — and left the Thais in their wake.
Guiding the Alas girls squad to their historic achievement were head coach Edwin Leyva, assistant coaches Oliver Balse and Lerma Giron, and team manager Karl Chan — a leadership team that made history together.
Because China had already qualified as defending world champion, the Philippines’ fifth-place finish slipped neatly into the last world slot. Fifth never felt so close to first.
It is the country’s best-ever finish in the tournament — and the first time a Philippine U16 squad will set foot on the world stage.
For a team of high schoolers united by grit, laughter, and late-night video calls, this was more than a win. It was a declaration: the future has arrived, wearing the colors of Alas Pilipinas, and it plays with fire.
