CANDON, Ilocos Sur — Alyssa Solomon certainly made the Australians’ lives difficult in their Pool A matchup, and coach Russell Borgeaud took notice.
Solomon, who dropped 23 points over the Aussies' heads, was Alas Pilipinas' lifeline, but the hometown bets still fell to the visitors, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-25, 11-15, in the 2026 AVC Women's Cup on Sunday at the Candon City Arena here.
READ: AVC: Alas Pilipinas squanders 1-set lead, falls to Australia
"The opposite hitter, number six was excellent," said Borgeaud.
“[Alyssa Solomon] really made it very difficult.”
Borgeaud acknowledged the Philippine squad's "situation," with several key pieces missing referring to the 2025 national team core; however, they will take the win this time, ending a years-long drought against the Filipinos.
READ: AVC: Valdez, Solomon look at lessons learned after Alas’ 5-set collapse vs Aussies
“I know there were some players that were missing as well, but the players that came out gave their best, played exceptionally well in periods and made it difficult for us,” he said.
“It's been a long time I think since we beat the Philippines, so yes, I expected it to be very tight. We knew it would be a difficult game.”
Leading the way for the Aussies was Caitlin Bettenay, who tallied 17 points, as the Volleyroos secured their first win of the tourney presented by the PSC, FIVB, AVC, Volleyball World and Candon City headed by Mayor Eric Singson.