On-fire Alas Pilipinas tames Indians for 2-0 start

MANILA, Philippines -- The bright future that the country has long dreamed of and envisioned came charging into the present like a lightning bolt.

And this valiant, magnificent Alas Pilipinas bunch was the main reason why.

Displaying incredible grit and indomitable fighting spirit, the Philippines tamed a higher-ranked India, 22-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-18, Friday night to continue to defy overwhelming odds in the AVC Women’s Challenge Cup before another sellout crowd at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

It was the second straight victory for these Jorge Souza de Brito-mentored 14 brave souls who answered the call by the country that sent them straight to the top while shoving the Indians, ranked 57th in the world by FIVB compared to the Filipinas 62nd, down to second with a 2-1 slate.

Like an angel of death, Angel Canino swooped down on the Indians with a soul-crushing 22-point performance; while Eya Laure likewise left a trail of devastation with a hurricane of a 19-hit performance that included India’s deliverance — an electric kill that sent the animated crowd in jubilation.

Jia de Guzman was in her usual brilliance, facilitating the country's relentless attack while serving as the adhesive that kept her young team together.

The country could claim a spot to the crossover semis if it could pull the same sensational feat either over Iran Saturday night or Chinese Taipei on Sunday, or both.

If it ends up doing so, it will be the best finish by this volleyball-crazy country in the three-year history of this annual meet after finishing seventh a year ago in Gresik, East Java in Indonesia.

And more importantly, it would sate the nation’s hunger for international sporting glory that has long abandoned Philippine women’s volleyball for a long time now.

It was a dream that no one, Alas Pilipinas and Filipinos alike, don’t want to wake up from.