CANDON, Ilocos Sur — Iran capitalized on the sluggish and ice-cold Alas Pilipinas to sweep the host squad, 25-21, 25-12, 25-21, in the classification match for seventh place in the 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Volleyball Cup on Sunday at the Candon City Arena here.
The Filipinas just couldn’t get their game going and closed their campaign with three straight defeats for the revamped squad’s worst finish in the tournament at eighth.
Iran easily overpowered the error-plagued Philippines and zapped the energy out of the home crowd with precision hitting behind Poorsaleh Shahdehsari Elahe.
Alyssa Solomon was the lone Alas player in double figures with 12 points built on 11 kills and an ace.
Veteran winger Jovelyn Gonzaga scored all of her six points from attacks while Nina Ytang and skipper Alyssa Valdez added five and four markers, respectively, for the Shaq delos Santos-coached team.
Alas had little time to prepare after the core of the team that finished runner-up last year begged off due to various reasons.
“I mean, it’s not the result we wanted, but we wish for the young players to continue representing our country,” Valdez said.
Alas was able to show some resistance late in the opening set, rallying from six points down to close the gap, 21-19, after a Gonzaga kill. Iran quelled the Philippines uprising with a 4-2 closing run aided by a costly service error by Alas setter Kyle Negrito.
The Iranians controlled the next two sets after building significant gaps early to complete their dominating victory in the final playdate of the tournament presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), FIVB, AVC, Volleyball World, and Candon City, headed by Mayor Eric Singson.
Elahe had 18 points from 17 kills and an ace, Fatemeh Khalili scored nine markers while Zahra Salehi Sali and Ahankoub Roo Yasna contributed eight each for Iran.
The Pinay spikers ended their campaign with just two wins in six outings under their belts for their lowest finish since landing seventh in the 2023 edition.
They swept Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan but lost to Australia in five sets and to the finalists Chinese Taipei and South Korea, in straight sets in the pool stage.
