Alas Pilipinas' Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, and Angel Canino at the 2025 AVC Women's Volleyball Nations Cup on Sunday in Vietnam. Photos from the Asian Volleyball Confederation
Alas Pilipinas continued to slay in Vietnam, outplaying Indonesia, 22-25, 25-23, 25-13, 28-26, to tie Kazakhstan at the number one spot in Pool B of the 2025 AVC Women's Volleyball Nations Cup on Sunday.
Philippines and the Kazakhs now have a 2-0 record. Next up for the Nationals is Iran on Monday, June 9.
The opener was a nip and tuck battle, until it wasn't as Ersandrina Devega Salsabilah sparked Indonesia's pull away run from the 22-all count to secure the period, 25-22.
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Alyssa Solomon was a bright spot for Alas in Set 1, dealing the most damage with eight points on six attacks and two blocks in that frame.
Out of rhythm early in Set 2 when Indonesia installed a huge 9-3 lead, Shaina Nitura and Angel Canino led a furious comeback off the bench, capped by a Vanie Gandler service ace for five unanswered points to close in at 9-8.
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Down two points at the closing moments of the second frame, 21-23, Alas mounted a comeback for the ages as a Dell Palomata block, Canino ace, and a set-clinching block by Belen allowed them to get on board, 25-23, tying the match at one-set apiece.
Julia Coronel, giving Jia de Guzman some breathing space, steered that Alas firepower and return as she soaked in those extended minutes for the Nationals midway through Set 2.
Perhaps broken from the Alas showing in the previous frame, Indonesia could not find its groove in the next as the Belen-Solomon-Canino offensive trio was on full display, notching the attacks, blocks, and service aces for a 25-13 set win.
Set 4 was a much closer contest, as the Indonesians managed to put it to distance, but Alas found the much needed scores in Canino and Nitura in the end to close out the two-hour, 18-minute intense contest, 28-26.
A cause of concern for Alas is an apparent ankle injury suffered by Solomon early in the fourth set that forced her to be subbed out, but Adamson's Nitura stepped up when called upon by the squad.