MANILA — Alas Pilipinas Girls’ historic campaign in the FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship will continue in the classification round after South Korea overpowered the young Filipinas in straight sets, 25-21, 25-18, 25-14, in the Round of 16 on Thursday in Los Andes, Chile.
The Filipinas challenged the South Koreans in the early stages of each set but could not sustain their resistance as their more experienced opponents steadily pulled away to shut the door on the Philippines’ bid for a quarterfinal berth.
The defeat relegated Alas Pilipinas Girls to the classification stage for ninth to 16th places, where they will next face Japan on Saturday.
Caera Celis remained the Philippines’ leading offensive weapon with 14 points, while Xyz Ellen Rayco chipped in nine and Sharina Rhyza Lleses contributed seven.
South Korea imposed its superiority at the net, dominating the Filipinas in attacks, 45-29, while also holding the edge in blocks, 7-5, and service aces, 6-4.
The Philippines committed 17 errors against South Korea’s 15.
Despite falling short of the quarterfinals, Alas Pilipinas Girls have already put together a noteworthy campaign on the world stage, advancing to the Round of 16 after posting two victories in five preliminary-round matches.
The Filipinas opened their campaign with a straight-set defeat to defending champion China before bouncing back with victories over Mexico and Tunisia.
They then pushed Peru and Venezuela to five sets but lost both matches to finish the preliminary round with a 2-3 record and secure their spot in the knockout stage.
Alas Pilipinas Girls will have a rest day on Friday before returning to the court against Japan on Saturday to open their campaign for ninth to 16th places./PN
