Alas Pilipinas methodically swept Australia, 25-23, 25-15, 25-7, to capture the bronze medal in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The Filipinas successfully defended their home stand, achieving the country’s best finish in any AVC tournament in 63 years.
The taller Volleyroos failed to exact revenge against the home team after suffering defeat from the Jia de Guzman-captained squad in the preliminary round.
The Philippine team settled for the battle for third after falling to Kazakhstan in straight sets on Tuesday, 23-25, 21-25, 14-25, despite entering the semifinal round on a high note, having swept Pool A.
This was the country’s first podium finish since 2019, when they placed in the second leg of the ASEAN Grand Prix or SEA V.League.
However, the Philippines has yet to win a championship in international volleyball competitions in 31 years, with the last gold medal at the 1993 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.
