It was a full-on block party for Alas Pilipinas on a Sunday afternoon in Hanoi, as the Philippine national team powered past Indonesia in four electrifying sets on Day 2 of the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup at the Dong Anh Gymnasium in Vietnam.
Alas Pilipinas, ranked 48th in the world, stumbled out of the gate, dropping the first set, 22–25, as 60th ranked Indonesia leaned on quick spikes and well-placed off-speed shots. The mix of attacks rattled the squad of head coach Jorge Souza De Brito, who steered the Philippines to a bronze medal in last year’s AVC Challenge Cup in Manila.
Indonesia kept the pressure on in the second set, racing to a 9–3 lead. But momentum quickly shifted. Key adjustments to Alas Pilipinas’ net and floor defense — plus the spark provided by bench players Shaina Nitura of Adamson University and Angel Canino of De La Salle University — fueled a rally, punctuated by a service ace from Vanie Gandler that cut the gap to 9–8.
Down 21–23 late in the set, the Filipinas showed nerves of steel. A block by Dell Palomata, an ace from Canino, and a clutch denial at the net by National University standout and UAAP MVP Bella Belen sealed a dramatic 25–23 win and evened the match.
Riding the wave, Alas Pilipinas dominated the third set, storming to a commanding 25–13 victory.
With their backs against the wall, Indonesia pushed back hard in the fourth, determined to force another five-setter — just as they had in their Day 1 loss to Iran. But the Filipinas wouldn’t be denied.
Alyssa Solomon, who sat out the win over Mongolia, returned to lead the charge with 17 points. She was on track to score more before tweaking her ankle while backpedaling for a hit, forcing her to exit the match.
Sensing an opening, Indonesia tried to pounce — but the Filipinas held firm. Canino, Belen, Nitura, and Fifi Sharma stepped up in crunch time, combining for clutch blocks and kill shots to edge out a heart-stopping 28–26 win in the fourth set. It was Nitura, the youngest member of the team, who delivered the final blow against Indonesia.
In all, Alas Pilipinas had 12 blocks in total, thrice the blocks made by Indonesia.
Veteran setter Jia De Guzman was masterful, distributing the ball and even notching a few points herself.
The victory keeps the Philippines in lockstep with Kazakhstan at 2–0 in Pool B, where only the top two teams advance to the quarterfinals.
