Alas Pilipinas rebounds in VTV Cup after beating Chinese club

July 1 ------ ALAS Pilipinas rebounded from a routine loss to Vietnam with a 25-12, 25-22, 19-25, 25-15 win over China’s Sichuan Wuliangchun in the 2025 VTV Cup in Vinh Phuc, Vietnam.

The Philippines drew level with the Chinese club in second place in Pool A at 1-1 after the latter’s tournament-opening four-set victory over Australia. A win over the Aussies will seal the nationals’ second-place seeding in Pool A ahead of the crossover quarterfinals which begins on Thursday.

The new-look national team vented its ire on Sichuan off the bat by leading the first set from start to finish. With two-time PVL MVP Brooke Van Sickle at the wheel, the Philippines established a 12-point plateau along with her Petro Gazz teammate MJ Phillips who had Alas’ net defense on lock.

Come the second frame, Alas blew a six-point lead that Sichuan was able to cut to one at 22-23. Alas refused to let go of the driver’s seat as Van Sickle’s back-row hit and Vanie Gandler’s quick attack sealed the second set and a 2-0 advantage. Sichuan pumped life into its fading charge by building a 15-9 lead midway that the Philippines was unable to chase, extending the match to four sets.

In a rare move over the last year for Alas, captain Jia de Guzman took the back seat in the second half of the match as Fil-American playmaker Tia Andaya stepped up to the plate. Van Sickle & Co. went full throttle in the fourth set, building a lead as big as 10 in the home stretch to put the match away. Along with a sharper floor defense from newcomer Justine Jazareno, the nationals repulsed Sichuan’s bid to force what would’ve been just the second five-setter of the tournament.

Source: spin.ph