The Alas Pilipinas Boys gave Iran everything they could handle before ultimately falling in straight sets, 17-25, 20-25, 13-25, in their opening match of the 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Boys’ U18 Volleyball Championship on Sunday, July 12, at the Wuyuan River Gymnasium in Haikou, China.

Nationals Erase Early Deficit Before Iran Pulls Away

Iran wasted no time asserting its dominance, jumping out to a commanding lead in the opening frame behind 21 attacks, while the Alas Boys could only muster eight attack points of their own in a lopsided first set.

But the young Filipino squad refused to fold. The nationals came alive in the second set, clawing their way back to knot the score at 19-19 behind strong performances from Djomari Gamotea, Raphael Galapin and Elijah Marticion.

The comeback bid, however, was short-lived. Iran answered with a decisive 6-1 rally sparked by middle blockers Heydari Sefat Pedram and Chodorarkhoei Aydin, seizing control of the set and never relinquishing it en route to a straight-set victory in one hour and five minutes.

Balse Points to Defense as Key Fix Moving Forward

Head coach Oliver Balse didn’t shy away from the tight margins that defined the match. “We just fell short — despite tying the score at 19-19 in the second set,” Balse said. “We need to work on our defense.”

Marticion paced Alas Pilipinas with a team-high eight points built on seven attacks and a block, while Galapin and Ar-Raquib Dais each contributed five points. On the Iranian side, Nima Piri and Abolfazl Pashaamiri led the way with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Despite the loss, Balse struck an optimistic tone about his squad’s potential heading into the rest of the tournament. “We’ll keep on working and fighting to get better,” he said. “The skills are there, it’s a matter of squeezing them out.”

The Philippine team — organized under the supervision of the Philippine Olympic Committee and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission — will look to bounce back Monday when they face Bahrain at 1 p.m. Iran, meanwhile, will aim to move to 2-0 in a 10 a.m. matchup against India.