Alas Pilipinas Women finally ended a seven-year wait for a win over Vietnam, battling to a 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-22 victory on Saturday at Chiang Mai Stadium in Thailand.
The win marked the Philippines’ first triumph over Vietnam since October 4, 2019, when the Filipinas swept the Vietnamese, 25-21, 25-23, 25-21, in the second leg of the then-ASEAN Grand Prix.
That 2019 squad featured Alyssa Valdez, Ces Molina, Mylene Paat, and Majoy Baron, with current Alas Pilipinas players Jia de Guzman and Dawn Macandili-Catindig also part of the team.
Seven years later, it was Eya Laure, Alyssa Solomon, Bella Belen, Thea Gagate, and Dell Palomata who led the Philippines, with De Guzman once again orchestrating the offense.
Alas Pilipinas Comes Back From One Set Down
After dropping a tight opening set, Alas Pilipinas responded in the second behind Laure, Gagate, Solomon, and Palomata to level the match at one set apiece.
The Filipinas then seized control in the third, racing to an 18-8 advantage before fending off a late Vietnamese rally to move one set away from victory.
Vietnam threatened to force a deciding fifth set after erasing a 22-19 deficit in the fourth. A service error from Mars Alba and back-to-back attacks from Pham Quynh Huong tied the set at 22-all.
But Alas Pilipinas answered when it mattered most.
Belen restored the lead with a hit through the blockers before Laure delivered an off-the-block kill to bring the Filipinas to match point. Laure then sealed the win on defense, reading Tran Thi Bich Thuy’s slide attack perfectly to clinch the four-set victory.
The result improved Alas Pilipinas to 1-1 in the second leg and gave the Nationals their first win of the 2026 SEA Women’s V Cup after going winless in the opening leg.
Eya Laure, Bella Belen Lead the Way
Laure led all scorers with 22 points, while Solomon added 17 on 15 attacks and 2 aces.
Belen contributed 16 points on 12 attacks, 3 blocks, and 1 ace, while Gagate finished with 10 points, including 6 blocks—a major turnaround after scoring just 9 points combined in her previous four matches.
Palomata also made an impact off the bench with nine points on five attacks and four blocks.
Vietnam was led by Tran Thi Thanh Thuy with 25 points, while Huong added 14.
Alas Pilipinas will now battle Indonesia on Sunday at 2 p.m. (Manila time), with a podium finish on the line.
