Alas Pilipinas look to book a spot in the semifinals of the VTV Cup 2025 as they face a young but battle-tested Est Cola squad from Thailand in a knockout quarterfinal match.
Alas Pilipinas aim to continue their winning momentum as they square off against Thailand’s Est Cola in a high-stakes quarterfinal showdown at the VTV Cup 2025 tonight, July 8, at the Vinh Phuc Gymnasium in Vietnam.
The Filipinas, who closed out the preliminary round with back-to-back wins, finished second in Pool A with a 2-1 record behind host Vietnam. Their bounce-back run included a four-set win over China’s Sichuan Wuliangchun and a dominant sweep of Australia.
Filipino-American standouts Brooke Van Sickle and MJ Phillips have been consistent forces on both ends of the floor, while Leila Cruz and Vanie Gandler have contributed crucial firepower to fuel Alas’ campaign.
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Alas Women hope to ride that surge of confidence into a tough knockout clash against a familiar Thai squad that previously competed on Philippine soil in the 2024 PVL Invitational Conference.
Est Cola finished third in Pool B with a 1-2 record and will be without captain Kuttika Kaewpin, who was called up to the senior national team for the ongoing Volleyball Nations League.
However, they still have dangerous weapons in outside hitter Kwannaphat Nualwan, opposite Papatchaya Phontham, and libero Nichakom Wansuk.
Eya Laure, who missed the last two matches due to illness, is expected to return to reinforce Alas’ wing rotation.
A win would secure Alas Pilipinas’ first semifinal appearance in the VTV Cup since the Choco Mucho Flying Titans reached the Final Four and took bronze in 2023.
[ALSO READ: Vanie Gandler optimistic Alas Pilipinas will get finals rematch vs Vietnam in VTV Cup]
Other quarterfinal matchups include Russia’s Korabelka vs. Australia, Chinese Taipei vs. Sichuan, and host Vietnam vs. its U21 squad.
First serve between Alas Pilipinas and EST Cola is set at 6:00 p.m. (Manila time).
(With reports from Kiko Demigillo)
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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.]