Alas Girls pull off milestone win in Chile

MANILA, Philippines — In any ballgame, they say the ball is round – anything can happen.

Them with the brave hearts make things happen. The Gilas Girls did it, pulling the rug from under their Mexican counterparts, 25-19, 20-25, 25-19, 25-23, in the FIVB Volleyball Girls U17 World Championship in Santiago, Chile.

The milestone win bolstered the Filipinas’ hope of crashing into the Round-of-16 as it jumped from last to a share of second with Venezuela and Peru on 1-1 records in the six-nation Pool B.

To crash the next round, the Nationals would need to finish in the top four in their group.

Leading the bracket was defending champion China, which dealt Alas a straight-set spanking the day before.

Caera Celis spearheaded the attack with 24 points on 22 attacks, a block and an ace, while Xyz Rayco scattered 15 hits, including 12 off kills, and Jhaynna Bulandres chipped in 10 for Alas Girls, who are being supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and ASICS.

A master switch by Alas coach Edwin Leyva, transforming Nadeth Harbon from wing spiker to libero spelled the biggest difference as it helped solidify the squad’s floor defense after a lethargic effort in the stinging loss to the Chinese.

Over at the women’s SEA V Cup Leg 2 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Alas also eked out massive 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-22 upset of Vietnam to improve to 1-1.