Alas Pilipinas overcame a sluggish start to outgun Australia, 22-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-21, and notch its first win in the 2024 Asian Volleyball Confederation Challenge Cup at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Thursday evening.
Floor general Jia De Guzman's tossing was as good as advertised, paving the way for 20-year-old Angel Canino to be hailed as Player of the Game and mobilizing Alas Women to hand Australia its first loss in the tournament in front of 4,945 spectators.
De Guzman dished out nine excellent sets, including six markers, while Canino exploded with 17 points from 15 attacks, a block, and an ace.
"The big reason why we won the game is teamwork. Because given the time, we have a short time to prepare, but we made it through the leadership of the coaches and Ate Jia," Canino said.
Eya Laure also hammered down 17 points from 14 attacks, two aces, and a block while her former University of Santo Tomas teammate Sisi Rondina stood tall among the towering Australians as she carved out 15 attacks from 16 points.
6-foot-2 middle blocker Thea Gagate came up with four block points from her 11 total, Fifi Sharma contributed seven markers, while Vannie Gandler chipped in a point.
"I think it was the endgame that was our problem for us. Something that we kind of expected because, technically, this is our first scrimmage, game situation that we experienced. That's something we have to build over time," De Guzman said.
Laure and Canino caught fire as they produced six and four points, respectively in the fourth set alone to secure the win.
Despite short preparations before their first game, the Alas Women were quick to adjust in the second and third frame after allowing the Aussies to establish a lead in the final moments of the first set.
Meanwhile, Australia's Sara Inskip's 12-point performance was not enough as her teammates ended up with single-digit scoring after being suppressed by the Alas Women.
"I have to give credit to the floor defense and the net defense of the team because we are trying to stick to a system so that we'll have it easier especially going against Australia," De Guzman said.
