Vanie Gandler waxed hot in powering Alas Pilipinas to an emphatic 25-18, 25-16, 25-14 victory over Mongolia for a rousing start in Pool B of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup on Saturday.

The open spiker from Cignal unleashed a game-high 16 points as she torched the Mongolians with 13 kills in a scorching performance at the Dong Anh District Center for Culture, Information and Sports in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Gandler also had two aces and a kill block for an all-around performance for the Filipinas, who are looking to replicate if not surpass their bronze medal finish last year in Manila.

Alas, which flew in Wednesday, had a rusty start and even trailed by two early in the opening frame. The Nationals used a closing 7-2 run to end the frame.

Already warmed up, Alas dominated the next two sets to build momentum heading into a challenging match against Indonesia today.

Last year’s Best Opposite Spiker Angel Canino added 11 points while reigning tournament Best Setter and team captain Jia De Guzman tallied 10 excellent sets and 12 digs on top of two points.

Eya Laure added seven points, while Dell Palomata and Thea Gagate had six points each.

Three-time University Athletic Association of the Philippines Most Valuable Player Bella Belen scored six off the bench for Alas. M. Escarlote

Saruulgerel Ganbaatar paced Mongolia with 13 points, while Enkhnaran Ganbold had 10 points.