The Alas Pilipinas Boys came up just short against Indonesia on Saturday night. But the 10th-place finish they secured is already the best in Philippine history.

The young nationals dropped a hard-fought, four-set battle, 25-23, 18-25, 15-25, 14-25, to cap their campaign at the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Boys’ U18 Volleyball Championship at the Wuyuan River Gymnasium in Haikou, China. It was a breakthrough tournament that saw the country climb one spot higher than its previous best.

Alas Boys Cap Landmark Tournament With Record 10th-Place Finish

The result improved on the 11th-place finish the Philippines posted at the 2024 Bahrain edition, giving the young program its highest-ever placement on the Asian stage. Team captain Howard Guerra said the squad felt the weight of the achievement even in defeat.

“I’m still proud of what we showed tonight, and still — we improved from our previous 11th-place finish in Bahrain,” Guerra said. “We went for No. 9, but this 10th-place is still proof that the national team is improving.”

The Alas Boys finished the tournament 1-2 in Pool B, defeating Bahrain while dropping matches to India and Iran.

They also picked up wins over Australia in the 9th-16th classification round and Hong Kong, China, in the 9th-12th round to secure their historic finish. Al-Raquib Dais and Terrence Marticion each scored 12 points in the loss to Indonesia, while Muhamad Rizqi Maulana paced the Indonesians with a game-high 26 points.

PH Boys’ Near-Miss vs. India Fuels Hope for Program’s Future

The tournament’s defining moment came days earlier. The Philippines came within a whisker of a historic first-ever quarterfinals berth in a grueling five-set thriller against India, 25-16, 25-20, 20-25, 23-25, 4-15, on Tuesday.

Though the Alas Boys ultimately fell short, the performance underscored just how far the young program has come in a short amount of time.

Head coach Oliver Balse pointed to the team’s limited preparation window as proof of the squad’s potential moving forward.

“We only had a half and a month to prepare, and I am very proud of what we showed in the tournament,” Balse said. “We almost had it versus India, it’s just that the program is new. But I have a huge faith that this team will further improve.”

In the tournament’s bronze medal match, Chinese Taipei edged China in five sets, 20-25, 25-23, 14-25, 25-21, 25-13.

With a new program, a record finish and a roster already flashing signs of promise, Alas Pilipinas’ U18 boys now turn their attention to building on their historic run in Haikou as they look ahead to future international competition.