MANILA – Alas Pilipinas Women secured the bronze medal in the second leg of the 2025 SEA V.League after a 25-17, 25-17, 28-26 sweep over Indonesia on Sunday night at Ninh Binh, Vietnam.
The Philippine women’s volleyball team were dealt a tense moment in the opening set when Alyssa Solomon went down with a left knee injury at 17-10 while trying to dig a crosscourt hit.
The former National University Lady Bulldogs star was stretchered off the court, but returned to the bench in the second set, easing fears and energizing her teammates to finish the job.
It was the Philippines’ fourth consecutive SEA V.League bronze medal and sixth overall since the tournament’s inception in 2019, when it was still known as the Asian Grand Prix.
Indonesia threatened to extend the match in the third set, pulling ahead 21-18 behind Mediol Stiovanny Yoku and Ersandrina Devega. But Alas Pilipinas rallied with key hits from Angel Canino and Fifi Sharma, followed by two consecutive points from Eya Laure to level at 22-all.
After a service error by Laure gave Indonesia set point, Bella Belen fired three straight attacks, Dell Palomata scored on a block, and Devega sent her crosscourt attempt out to seal the win.
Earlier, Alas Pilipinas broke an 8-all tie in the second set with a 9-2 surge highlighted by Laure’s scoring spree and Canino’s block to take a commanding 17-10 lead.
In the opening set, Solomon sparked a 4-1 run with an attack, a block, and an ace before her injury forced her to sit out.
Alas Pilipinas will next face world No. 10 Dominican Republic in a series of tune-up matches as part of their build-up for the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in December.
For Indonesia, the loss marked their fourth straight last-place finish in the four-team tournament./PN
