Alas Pilipinas toppled world No. 31 Kazakhstan in a dominant 25-21, 25-15, 25-19 performance at the AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup on Independence Day in Hanoi. The straight-sets victory at Dong Anh Arena secured the Filipinas a semifinal slot as Pool A’s top seed with a 4-1 record.

Both teams ended the group stage with identical win-loss records, but the Philippines advanced via tiebreak, pushing Kazakhstan down to No. 2 in the group standings.

Belen, Solomon, Canino shine in strong finish

Bella Belen led the charge with 16 points and 11 excellent receptions, while Alyssa Solomon and Angel Canino added 14 and 13 points, respectively. The win marked a significant morale boost for the squad, which finished with bronze in the same tournament at home last year.

Setter and team captain Jia de Guzman emphasized their focus leading into the matchup: “Kazakhstan was already in our minds as we left the court yesterday. We knew we needed our best.”

Head coach Jorge Edson Souza de Brito praised the team’s mindset, saying, “We’re in the top 4 now. It will be a hard match, and we must find every advantage.”

Semifinal clash against Chinese Taipei up next

Alas Pilipinas is set to face Chinese Taipei in the semifinals at 9 p.m. Friday (Manila time), while Kazakhstan will take on host Vietnam at 6:30 p.m. The Filipinas’ fans in Vietnam were out in full force, chanting “Happy Independence Day” as the team celebrated its statement win.

Canino called the sweep unexpected but satisfying. “They’re a strong team. We learned a lot from our past games, and I’m grateful for the guidance of Ate Jia and Ate Dawn.”

Iran, despite also finishing with a 3-1 card, missed out on the semifinals due to the tiebreak rules, illustrating the tightly contested nature of the AVC tournament.