Alas boys whip Bahrainis

MANILA, Philippines —  The Alas Pilipinas Boys overcame a second-set hiccup to frustrate Bahrain, 25-22, 13-25, 25-23, 25-14, for their first victory in the 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Boys’ U18 Championship yesterday at the Wuyuan River Gymnasium in Haikou, China.

The Philippines and India, both with a 1-1 win-loss record in Pool B, will face off in a high-stakes match at 1 p.m. today, with the winner joining Iran (2-0) in the quarterfinals.

Only the top two teams from each of four pools will advance to the next round.

The Philippines lost to Iran, 17-25, 20-25, 13-25, in its first assignment last Saturday.

“They showed heart in today’s match and I told the boys that we need this win for us to improve our chances,” Alas head coach Oliver Balse said. “Next up is India and we want to give our all.”

Terrence Marticion led Alas with16 points on 15 attacks and a block, while Raphael Galapin 11.

With only a month and a half to prepare for the championship, Balse was glad to see his team’s composure against Bahrain.