Alas Pilipinas Girls turned a rocky start into a piece of history on Friday, August 7. A bold defensive shakeup powered the squad to a 25-19, 20-25, 25-19, 25-23 win over Mexico, marking the team’s first-ever victory at the FIVB Volleyball Girls U17 World Championship.

The breakthrough came after coach Edwin Leyva made a gutsy call to trade frontline firepower for backline stability. The gamble paid off almost instantly.

The Switch That Changed Everything

Alas Pilipinas had struggled with floor coverage in its tournament opener against China, so Leyva’s staff decided to move wing spiker Nadeth Herbon into the libero position for the Mexico match. The switch cost the team some frontline depth, but the defensive payoff was immediate.

Better passing translated into more efficient attacking, and the results showed up across the stat sheet. Caera Celis exploded for 24 points on 22 attacks, adding a block and an ace to her ledger. Xyz Rayco chipped in 15 points with two aces and a block of her own.

Jhaynna Bulandres added 10 points, while Madele Gale anchored the middle defense with five of the team’s eight total blocks. Together, the group steadied a lineup that had looked shaky just one match earlier.

For Herbon, the move meant embracing an unfamiliar role under real pressure. “It was a tense ride, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I needed to do,” she said of the bus trip to the venue. She still found ways to impact the offense, setting up both Celis and Bulandres at the net despite her new defensive assignment.

A Historic Breakthrough on the World Stage

The win made Alas Pilipinas Girls just the second Philippine volleyball team to claim a victory at a FIVB world championship, following the Bryan Bagunas-led men’s squad last year. News of the milestone did not take long to reach the sport’s top brass.

Ramon “Tats” Suzara, president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation, was presiding over the AVC Congress at the Grand Four Wings Hotel when word of the win broke. “This is a breakthrough for the country, a victory on the world stage,” Suzara said, relaying the update to FIVB president Fabio Azevedo and former president Ary Graca.

Team manager Karl Chan struck a measured tone despite the milestone, keeping his focus on the bigger picture. “We’re not looking too far ahead, but this win shows that the program works, and the girls have shown they can hold their own on the world stage,” Chan said.

The Philippines improved to 1-1 in Pool B, joining Mexico, Venezuela and Peru at the same record. China sits alone atop the group at 2-0, while Tunisia remains winless. The top four teams from each pool advance to the next round, keeping the Filipinas’ path to the knockout stage very much alive.

Alas Pilipinas Girls will face Tunisia on Saturday before a scheduled break in the tournament. The team then returns to action against Peru on Monday and closes out pool play against Venezuela on Tuesday.

The AVC Congress festivities continue as well. The first-ever AVC Gala Night is set to honor Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons with the Fans’ Choice Beach Volleyball Award, while Bagunas will receive the Fans’ Choice Men’s Volleyball Award.