The Alas Girls have done what no Philippine volleyball team has ever done before.
On the strength of two massive upsets and one gritty stand that proved to be enough, the Philippines marched into the Round of 16 of the FIVB Volleyball Girls U17 World Championship in San Felipe, Chile – securing the best-ever finish by any Philippine team at a world championship.
Needing only to force a fifth set to advance, the young Filipinas did just that in dramatic fashion. Down two sets to world No. 12 Venezuela, Caera Celis and Xyz Ellen Rayco sparked a furious comeback, combining for 15 points in the third set to steal it, then taking the fourth to force a decider.
Alas eventually bowed, 19-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-19, 11-15 on Tuesday at the Liceo Mixto San Felipe. But the job was already done.
That single point from the five-set loss proved golden. The Philippines tied world No. 8 Mexico at 2-3 in Pool B, but advanced on tiebreak points, 7-6, under FIVB rules where a five-set defeat still counts for one point against two for a win. The ticket was punched earlier by two huge victories over No. 8 Mexico and No. 20 Tunisia.
By reaching the final 16 of the tournament – now on its second edition after the inaugural staging in Lima, Peru – this U17 squad has surpassed two benchmarks: the Bryan Bagunas-led men’s team that finished 19th in the FIVB Men’s World Championship hosted by the Philippines last year, and the women’s team that placed 18th in the 1974 Women’s World Championship in Mexico.
It is a milestone still unfolding.