By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Alas Pilipinas women’s national volleyball team raked its second consecutive bronze medal finish during the second leg of the Southeast Asian V-League tournament on August 11, 2024, in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
Alas had a tougher path than their first bronze during the past leg as they needed to pull off a comeback effort to defeat Indonesia, 20-25, 25-20, 16-25, 25-20, 15-10.
After entering the fourth set with a 1-2 deficit, Alas finally pulled themselves together and notched the crucial period in the fourth to force a deciding fifth set.
From an error-plagued outing in the opening and third set which allowed the Indonesians to grab the momentum, the talented Filipinas flipped the switch and amped their defensive pressure to extend the match and keep their medal hopes alive.
In the fifth and final set, Indonesia started things off with their signature 1-2 quick offensive sets but Alas responded with attacks from Sisi Rondina and Eya Laure.
Aside from the explosive duo, Fifi Sharma, Cherry Nunag, and Alyssa Solomon also provided some clutch hits that helped Alas race to a 12-10 lead in the fifth set.
It was Nunag who tallied the final hits for Alas, killing one off-the-block spike while finishing a cross-court feed from star setter Jia Morado-De Guzman.
With Alas only needing a point to seal the match and go home with the bronze, Solomon delivered when it mattered the most as she pummeled a down-the-line attack to secure the victory.
Solomon, the young Alas member from the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, top-scored her squad with 25 big points while Rondina added 18 markers.
Jema Galanza was also lethal for the PHL as the debuting opposite spiker from the Creamline Cool Smashers tallied 14 points, with eight of those produced in the crucial fourth set.
