Alas Pilipinas girls proved they belong in the 2nd AVC Asian Women’s U16 Volleyball Championship, stunning Iran with a 25-21, 25-22, 25-22 sweep on Sunday at Princess Sumaya Hall here.
After coming up short against defending champion Japan, the under-16 national youth team came out with a sense of urgency, taking down the taller Iran in a must-win game to qualify for the next round. Xyz Rayco powered the team composed of players from different provinces to finish Pool B with a 1-1 record with 13 points off nine kills, three blocks, and an ace.
Team captain Rayco put on the finishing touches in the last two sets to send the Philippines to the next round, depending on the result of the final Pool B game between Japan and Iran on Monday. They will face either the top seed or the No. 2 team in Pool D, which will be disputed by unbeaten teams Thailand and Chinese Taipei.
‘I’m really happy because we didn’t expect this. Iran is such a strong team, but we still found a way to win,’ Rayco said in Filipino.
‘We just kept a positive mindset on the court. Whatever we could do, we gave it our all.’
Madele Gale also stepped up big time with nine points, as she scored three consecutive points for a 19-15 lead in the third set before Rayco caught fire with four straight points en route to match point, 24-20. Iran saved two points but Gale ended the match with a game-winning joust. Resty Jane Olaguir continued to shine in running the plays of coach Edwin Leyva, as Nadeth Herbon and Merish Beltran contributed with seven and six points, respectively.
‘We were hoping to at least take a set against Iran, and we started off with a good score. We just told ourselves to take it one set at a time. And it worked,’ said Alas U16 coach Edwin Leyva. ‘From the first set to the second, we kept the momentum going. We honestly didn’t expect to win in straight sets because Iran is a strong and tall team.’
Alas fought back from a 13-17 deficit in the second with Herbon igniting a 5-0 run to take the lead, 18-17.
Iran tied it at 21, Rayco checked in and scored three consecutive points for the set point, 24-21, followed by service errors from both sides to take a 2-0 lead.
The Philippines came out strong with a 14-7 start and extended it to a 19-16 lead. Iran made it a one-point game, 22-21, only to commit two crucial errors before Beltran sealed the first-set win for Alas.
Iran was led by Bani Bogari Aynaz, who was the lone double-digit scorer with 12 points.