Alas Pilipinas aims to lock in on podium finish, clashes with Kazakhs in semis
MANILA, Philippines – For a change, Philippine volleyball is getting pampered with winning.
And Alas Pilipinas gets a chance to spoil the country even more as it shoots for the moon again, this time against a dangerous Kazakhstan in Tuesday ight’s AVC Women’s Challenge Cup semifinals before another sellout crowd at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Surpassing expectations despite limited preparation, the Filipinas accomplished what was once unimaginable after they swept Pool A in four games, which catapulted them to the semifinals for the first time after winding up seventh a year ago in Indonesia.
The group stage juggernaut has spurred hope that this is just the beginning of a renaissance by the country for a sport that has been in the gutter for decades.
Thanks to this brave league of extraordinary gentle ladies, those days may just be gone now.
In the crossover semis set at 7 p.m., Jorge Souza de Brito’s merry bunch will get a chance at doing what this volleyball-crazy nation hasn’t done for a long time — capture a medal in the international stage since bagging a Southeast Asian Games bronze in 2005 in Manila.
But first, Alas Pilipinas, which has climbed the FIVB world rankings ladder from 62nd to 57th to, most recently, 55th following its onslaught of triumphs, must find a way to beat World No. 30 Kazakhstan, the Pool B No. 2, for it to sustain its phenomenal surge.
A win would ensure the hosts a podium finish and a crack at a first gold on the international stage against either defending champion and Pool A winner Vietnam or Pool B No. 2 Australia.
With the help of the fans, who kept packing the venue every time, De Brito was confident the Filipinas would want to play better.
“They are really committed to play because a lot of fans are supporting them and they want to show up every single day better,” said the Brazilian former Olympic veteran.
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