Alas Pilipinas U16 made history by defeating Thailand to clinch fifth place in the AVC U16 Championship, qualifying for the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Girls' U17 World Championship.
The future of Philippine volleyball just took a massive step forward.
Alas Pilipinas U16 made history after securing a spot in the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship, made possible by a thrilling 25-23, 25-20, 19-25, 25-22 victory over powerhouse Thailand on Saturday at the Prince Hamzah Sports Hall in Amman, Jordan.
The win not only clinched fifth place in the 2nd AVC Asian Women’s U16 Volleyball Championship, but also marked the Philippines’ best-ever finish in the tournament and its first qualification to the world stage in this age group.
Captain Xyz Rayco delivered a career-defining performance, exploding for 30 points built on 25 attacks, four blocks, and an ace to lead the youngest Philippine national volleyball team to the milestone win.
“I’m inspired because I’m still young, but I’ve already come this far and I know there’s still a higher level waiting for me,” said Rayco, who has emerged as one of the tournament’s breakout stars.
Rayco capped her stellar outing by scoring three clutch points to break a 19-all deadlock in the fourth set, sealing the victory and punching the country’s ticket to next year’s World Championship in Chile.
The Philippines claimed the final Asian berth as China had already qualified automatically as the defending world champion. Other Asian representatives include Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Japan.
“That’s really the icing on the cake,” said head coach Edwin Leyva. “We only had two weeks to prepare, and at first, we were just a ragtag team. But we took it one set at a time, and now our dream came true.”
Alas avenged its earlier five-set loss to Thailand in the final eight, showing remarkable composure and maturity for a team built mostly from the grassroots program.
[ALSO READ: Alas Pilipinas U16 push Thailand to the brink but fall short in AVC Women’s U16 thriller]
Nadeth Herbon backed Rayco with 16 points, while Madele Gale added 11 markers, including five blocks.
“In the third set, we started to feel down, but in the fourth, we didn’t let it happen again because we didn’t want a repeat of our last game,” Rayco shared.
Despite minimal preparation, the young Filipinas impressed throughout the tournament, taking a set against defending champion Japan, defeating Iran to advance to the final eight, and sweeping Hong Kong to earn the right to battle for fifth.
Thailand settled for sixth, with Natacha Thongkham scoring 18 points and Chamikon Cankawe adding 13.
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Kiko Demigillo’s journey in sports storytelling began with a deep passion for games and athletes, which eventually grew into a full-fledged career.
Now a dedicated sportswriter, Kiko covers a wide range of beats for One Sports, including the PVL, UAAP, PBA, and various international tournaments.