Alas plays loose, blasts past Kyrgyz

CANDON CITY, Ilocos Sur, Philippines — Alas Pilipinas knew it would need to play loose to get back into the winning groove.

The Filipinas did just that and more, battering listless Kyrgyzstan, 25-9, 25-11, 25-17, yesterday to resuscitate their AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup semifinal bid at the Candon City Arena here.

The Nationals were a completely different bunch on this one compared to their being a bit tight in a numbing 25-22, 23-25, 18-25, 25-15, 15-11 defeat to the Aussies.

It was Alas’ second win in three outings, keeping the host team in the hunt for that precious semis spot. The Kyrgyz stumbled to their third loss in a row.

“We felt the pressure,” said Alas’ interim coach Shaq delos Santos. “Good thing we have so many leaders in this team like Alyssa Valdez, Jovelyn (Gonzaga), Ces Molina and even Royse (Tubino) and the younger ones were so jolly and willing to play and just enjoy.”

And Alas made sure as it went into the match with a sense of urgency. So focused was Alas that it didn’t give Kyrgyzstan a chance, and dominated right on the onset.

Next up for Alas is the fearsome and heavily favored South Koreans today, hoping to pull off an upset.

“Why not, the ball is round,” said Delos Santos referring to South Korea, which is eyeing a return to the Volleyball Nations League after being relegated here last year.

The team would need to win at least one of its last two matches, including its last Pool A assignment versus Chinese Taipei Thursday, to have a chance of snatching the second and last semis berth in its bracket.