Bella Belen and Alas Pilipinas scored a breakthrough win over Kazakhstan as the Philippines returned to the semifinals of the AVC Nations Cup.
Alas Pilipinas got their revenge — and a ticket to the semifinals.
Coinciding with the Philippines’ Independence Day, Alas Women swept Kazakhstan, 25-21, 25-15, 25-19, to top Pool B and advance to the 2025 AVC Nations Cup semifinals in Vietnam on Thursday.
The win not only kept Alas Pilipinas’ title hopes alive, but also avenged their straight-sets semifinal loss to Kazakhstan in last year’s edition.
Bella Belen led the charge with 16 points, including eight in the third set to help the team pull away for good.
“Maraming beses ko na nakalaban ang Kazakhstan [kasama] iba-ibang players,” said Belen, who partnered with NU running mate Alyssa Solomon to anchor Alas’ finishing kick.
“Ang mindset ko lang naman is may chance kami talaga na talunin ang Kazakhstan kasi bilog naman ang bola. Alam namin na malakas silang team and for me, pinaghandaan namin sila nang maayos.”
The win capped a bounce-back effort for the Filipinas, who entered the match facing elimination after an earlier five-set loss to Iran.
Instead, they now move on as Pool B’s top seed, riding momentum and a sense of unfinished business.
Alas Pilipinas continue their campaign with eyes set on surpassing last year’s bronze-medal finish.
(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.]