By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Alas Pilipinas Girls concluded their 22nd Princess Cup SEA Under-18 campaign with a bronze medal after sweeping Australia, 25-13, 25-21, 25-20, on June 13, 2024, at the Nakhon Pathom Gymnasium in Thailand.
With the win, the younger squad of Alas Pilipinas just replicated their seniors’ AVC Challenge Cup stint, wrapping up the international volleyball event with another podium finish.
Alas Pilipinas was relegated to the battle for bronze after falling at the hands of host nation Thailand and Indonesia.
Despite getting the better of Australia during the preliminary round, the Filipinas still didn’t take them lightly and stuck to their game plan of pummeling their middle blockers.
Their hard work on the offensive end immediately paid off in the first set as they manhandled the Australians with a dominating score of 25-13.
However, Australia provided a huge scare after keeping themselves within striking distance in the second set after capitalizing on some of Alas’ unforced errors.
Just when Australia thought they could sustain their momentum, Alas’ team captain Harlyn Serneche put the team on her back and spearheaded a crucial scoring rally.
Aside from Serneche, Rosie Alchin also contributed during the final stretch to help the national team take a commanding 2-0 lead.
It was then all Alas in the third set as they again countered back the early Australian offensive avalanche with a better outing in the final seven-game possessions.
Before receiving their medals, Alas got off to a hot start in the elimination round of the tournament after outdueling Singapore and Malaysia.
However, the Thais broke their winning streak and were officially out of gold medal contention when they bowed to the Indonesians.
