Alas Pilipinas’ girls ended their historic FIVB U17 World Championship debut in Chile with something better than a consolation prize, momentum.
The Filipinas rallied from a shaky start to beat Czechia, 21-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-22, securing 15th place in a 24-team field and closing their maiden world championship campaign on a winning note.
After opening the tournament with two victories in pool play, Alas had endured a difficult stretch, losing several consecutive matches and seemingly searching for its identity against increasingly experienced opposition.
Against Czechia, however, the young Filipinas found it again.
They surrendered the opening set, 21-25, but gradually settled into their game. Alas seized the second set, 25-22, then turned the match decisively in the third, 25-14, before finishing the job in the fourth, 25-22. The match lasted one hour and 32 minutes.
Caera Celis once again provided the offensive fireworks. The outside hitter topped all scorers with 25 points, including 20 attacks, giving the Philippines a reliable scoring outlet when the match tightened.
National University Nazareth School standouts Jhaynna Love Bulandres and Irish May Mahinay supplied crucial support. The 5-foot-9 opposite hitter Bulandres added 15 points, including six blocks, accounting for two-thirds of Alas’ nine blocks and two more than Czechia managed as a team.
The 5-foot-7 setter Mahinay contributed nine points as Alas piled up 96 points overall.
More importantly, the victory gave the Philippines a fitting finish to a campaign that was historic regardless of the final ranking.
This was only the second edition of the FIVB Girls’ U17 World Championship, and the Philippines had made its debut among the world’s best young teams.
There were losses, lessons, and stretches when the youngsters looked every bit their age.
But against Czechia, they looked like a team that had learned.
For a first world championship, 15th place may not sound like a headline. For Philippine women’s volleyball, however, it could be the first line of a much longer story.
