Alas slays Indonesia to grab maiden SEA V.Cup silver

Rogelio Santino Sambillon 

In a campaign to etch Philippine volleyball history, Alas Pilipinas clinched its first-ever silver medal after outlasting Indonesia, 25–13, 23–25, 25–19, 33–31, in the second leg of the 6th SEA V.Cup Chiang Mai Stadium in Thailand, Aug. 9.

Alas capped its run with a 2–1 record, slaying two of the SEAbling giants, Vietnam and Indonesia, while falling short against Thailand.

The powerhouse trio of Alyssa Solomon, Bella Belen, and Eya Laure spearheaded the Nationals’ bid, with Solomon frontgunning with 19 points while Belen and Laure contributed 17 apiece.

Despite the Filipinas’ dictating pace in the earlier sets, the struggle rose as Indonesia denied their attacks, with Alas holding onto a four point cushion, 11–7, in the fourth frame.

Indonesia’s Arsela Nuari Purnama, who finished with 19 markers, sparked a late surge to tie the set at 20-all.

Eventually, Purnama broke through to give Indonesia a two-point lead, 22–24, threatening to force a deciding set.

But the duo of Fifi Sharma and Jia De Guzman rejected every attempt of Indonesia to extend the match, turning the fourth frame into a gritty marathon that stretched beyond the 30-point mark.

Pressure mounted on the Indonesian side as the Filipinas fended off another match point, forcing Ersandrina Devega Salsabila into an attack error that ultimately sealed Philippines’ breakthrough triumph.

This historic silver adds to Alas Pilipinas’ record of six bronze medals and four fourth-place finishes in the SEA V.Cup.

The Filipinas will carry their momentum into the upcoming Asian Games, running from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.

With reports from the Inquirer, and Spin PH