Alas Pilipinas Women opened their 20th Asian Games campaign with a straight‑set loss to China, 18‑25, 22‑25, 8‑25, on Wednesday at the Okazaki Central Park General Gymnasium in Aichi‑Nagoya, Japan.
The Philippines showed flashes of resistance in the first two sets, but China pulled away late and dominated the third frame to hand Alas Pilipinas a 0‑1 start in Pool B.
Early Resistance from Alas Pilipinas
Alas Pilipinas kept things close early in the opening set, with the teams tied at 5‑all before China responded with a 6‑1 run to take an 11‑6 lead. China maintained its advantage to claim the first frame.
The Filipinas came out stronger in the second set and threatened to steal the frame late. Angel Canino and Thea Gagate sparked a 3‑0 run that erased China’s lead and tied the score at 20‑all.
China, however, answered immediately with 4 straight points behind Wang Aoqian and Zhuang Yushan to move within a point of a 2‑0 advantage. Alas Pilipinas refused to go quietly as Zhuang committed an attack error before Bella Belen scored off the block to save 2 set points. Tang Xin then shut the door at the net against Niña Ytang, giving China the second set.
China Dominates the Decider
China had little trouble in the deciding frame, racing to a 12‑3 lead before extending it to 19‑4. Zhuang and Wu Mengjie spearheaded the Chinese attack as Alas Pilipinas struggled to keep pace.
Alyssa Solomon stopped the run with an off‑the‑block hit, but China quickly finished off the match to complete the sweep.
What’s Next for Alas Pilipinas
The result puts the Philippines in a must‑win situation against Kazakhstan on Thursday, September 17, as the Filipinas look to keep their Asian Games campaign alive.
Meanwhile, China will face Kazakhstan on Friday, September 18, with the top spot in Pool B at stake.
