A milestone is unfolding for Alas Pilipinas at the FIVB Volleyball Girls U17 World Championship, a remarkable feat from a team still in its development stage, built on barely a week of training and limited resources.
Caera Celis, Xyz Rayco, Jhaynna Bulandres, Sharina Lleses, Princess Manzano, Nadeth Herbon, Resty Olaguir and the rest of the squad have pushed through adversity as Alas Girls marched on to the Round of 16, the best-ever finish by any Philippine volleyball team at a world championship.
The Alas Pilipinas Girls thus surpassed the Bryan Bagunas-led squad that fell just short of that stage at 19th spot in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship last year in the Philippines, and the team which placed 18th in the 1974 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Championship in Mexico.
On the strength of two huge victories over world No. 8 Mexico and No. 20 Tunisia, plus a gritty stand in a 19-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-19, 11-15 loss to world No. 12 Venezuela on Tuesday at the Liceo Mixto San Felipe, Alas Pilipinas Girls marched into the knockout phase alongside powerhouse teams China, USA, Korea and Poland.
Team manager Karl Chan noted that the challenges for youth players are much tougher than for elite squads due to scarce resources and limited scouting information, among others.
‘These are teens, playing at this high level for the first time, they face a lot of unknowns. You have to learn every step of the way, facing teams you don’t know,’ Chan said. ‘Unlike at the seniors level, more or less you’ve seen them play somewhere.’
Captained by Megan Hernandez and also featuring Irish Mahinay, Taj Teves, Jello Mauricio, Madele Gale, Frances Ramos and Jhenica Sadia, Alas U17 cam still achieve more, with several days of competition left.
They seek a place in the last eight when they take on South Korea on Wednesday in Los Andes.
The coaching staff said it’s an unexpected feat, noting that after securing the World Championship berth with a fifth-place finish in the Asian Volleyball Confederation U16 Women’s Championship in November last year, plans for a long training camp were dashed by leadership changes and management woes in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation.
‘It’s fulfilling to see these kids succeed and achieve more, because it’s the start of their journey in international volleyball,’ Chan said. ‘We’re looking forward to seeing these 14 players be future national team players in the senior level.’
Head coach Edwin Leyva credited the players for adapting quickly, from coping with chilly 4-degree temperatures to learning on the fly against teams they have previously seen only on video.
‘China is clearly on a different level. But against the rest of the pool, I believed we had a chance, if only we had more time to train and gel,’ Leyva said. ‘Still, they’ve matured a lot playing matches at this level. You see them crying out of frustration one night and then coming back to fight hard the next afternoon. Assistant coach Oliver Balse agreed, saying that the team that will enter the Round of 16 will be a much different squad.
‘What we aimed for was one set at a time, and we will continue to do so as the tournament progresses,’ Balse said.
The team, supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and Asics, went from tears to cheers as they pushed Venezuela hard a day after a heartbreaking four-set loss to No. 6 Peru.
Celis had 24 points from 22 attacks and two aces, while Xyz Rayco delivered 19 from 17 attacks, a block and an ace as the Philippines closed pool play with a 2-3 win-loss record.
Bulandres, a starter in the previous matches, proved effective off the bench as she came up with timely hits in the third and fourth sets, scoring eight on six attacks and two blocks.
Venezuela, which finished pool play with a 3-2 record, got 27 points from Colina Lezama Yalesca Lileagne, and 15 from Amanda Estefania Pacheco Gonzalez. They face Chinese Taipei in the Round of 16.