Alas Pilipinas embrace pressure as revamped roster debuts in AVC Nations Cup

With a retooled roster and rising expectations, Alas Pilipinas head into the 2025 AVC Nations Cup in Vietnam hoping to build on last year’s breakthrough bronze medal finish.

The tournament, formerly known as the AVC Challenge Cup, sees the Philippines grouped in Pool B alongside Iran, Indonesia, Mongolia, New Zealand, and familiar foe Kazakhstan—the same team that denied Alas a spot in the gold medal match last year in Manila.

While Alas standouts like Jia de Guzman, Angel Canino, and Thea Gagate return, head coach Jorge de Brito will also rely on fresh talent, including UAAP stars Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, and Shaina Nitura.

But with a stronger cast comes added pressure—one de Brito is not shying away from.

“It’s a privilege to be under pressure, it means that you’ve been performing good,” said de Brito.

“Nobody wants to be second place, third place. The pressure that [we] have right now is good for us. I’m just asking every single day to do their best, do what we’ve been training these past two months,” he added.

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“My expectation is that you can perform, and the results will come. But you need to perform first.”

As the team opens its campaign Saturday against Mongolia, the focus is less on matching last year’s medal run and more on delivering the kind of performance that makes results possible.

(With reports from Mei-Lin Lozada)

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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]