MANILA, Philippines – Kazakhstan is a win away from securing a spot in the semifinals of the ongoing 2024 AVC Challenge Cup, where they are likely to collide with hosts Alas Pilipinas after drubbing Indonesia in straight sets in Pool B action on Saturday afternoon.
The Kazakhs, who were coming off of a loss against semis-bound Vietnam on Friday, hardly broke a sweat against the Indonesians in a 25-17, 25-13, 25-22 victory at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum to improve their record to 2-1, priming them for a virtual knockout match against Hong Kong in their final pool play game on Sunday.
With their eye on the semis, Kazakhstan hitter Kristina Belova underscored the importance of their victory, which gave them a share of the No. 2 spot in their pool.
“I was ready to help my team and I was ready to get the reception, and I wanted to win this game because it was so important for us because we lost yesterday,” said Belova.
Belova and company are in a possible collision course with the Philippines should Alas Pilipinas end as the top-seed of Pool A. With their remaining games against Iran (1-1), and Chinese Taipei (0-3), the locals are in prime position to finish with a 4-0 record.
Still, Alas Pilipinas will need to hurdle their last two assignments to score the matchup with Kazakhstan in the crossover semifinals.
Meanwhile, Alas Pilipinas’ Southeast Asian Games rival Vietnam are in the semis already because of Kazakhstan’s win.
In the earlier game, Hong Kong drubbed Singapore in a lopsided affair, 25-14, 25-12, 25-12.
Kazakhstan and Hong Kong meet on Sunday, 1 p.m., for the remaining semis slot in Pool B.
For Alas Pilipinas, they will need to win against Iran this Saturday night to put one foot into the semifinals. Should India win over Australia in the earlier game, and the Philippines also emerge victorious in their own match, they will seal their place in the next round.
The Philippines has yet to enter the semifinals of the AVC Challenge Cup in program history.