Alas Pilipinas earned praise from Thailand coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai after a gritty performance in a four-set loss to the hosts to open the 2025 SEA V.League.
Alas Pilipinas may have fallen to host Thailand in their 2025 SEA V.League opener, but their strong showing drew high praise from Thailand’s head coach, Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai.
The national team resisted against the world no. 20 Thais before succumbing in four sets, 25-17, 24-26, 20-25, 20-25.
After the game, Alas’ Ayee Rapirap captured a moment of Radchatagriengkai in conversation with the entire Philippine coaching staff. Later, head coach Jorge de Brito shared Radchatagriengkai’s words of admiration for the team’s performance.
“He told us how good it is to have good opponents in SEA. He also said that we improved a lot, and even without playing in VNL, we reached this level so far—floor defense and all the other skills. He was shocked after the first set and our comeback in the second and third,” De Brito shared with One Sports.
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Despite entering the match as the world no. 47-ranked squad, the Philippines pushed Thailand to its near limit before eventually running out of steam.
In fact, the first-set win was Alas Women’s first against the Thais since the tournament was rebranded as the SEA V.League.
And while no specific names were mentioned, De Brito added that Radchatagriengkai was indeed impressed with how Alas' system stayed true throughout the match.
“No names, but more about how we are all connected. The system is also very determined,” he said.
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Alas Women now turn their attention to Vietnam, whom they Saturday at 2:30 p.m., looking to channel that progress into their first win in the tournament.