MANILA -- The Alas Pilipinas Women’s National Volleyball Team took a major step toward repeating last year’s podium finish by overcoming early tournament jitters and stunning powerhouse Kazakhstan with a dominant sweep, 25–21, 25–15, 25–19, on Thursday afternoon — coinciding with Philippine Independence Day — in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Rising star Bella Belen, who picked by Capital1 as number one pick in the 2025 PVL Draft , led the Nationals with 16 points, including 14 attacks and two blocks.
Belen shone in the third set of their crucial concluding match, overpowering a kill that was deflected out of bounds by the Kazakh blockers, giving the Philippines a 12–11 lead.
The Kazakhs, playing without their ace Sana Anarkulova, tried to steal the third set to stay alive in the contest. But the Philippines extended their lead after a crucial save by Dawn Macandili and a deflected kill from Belen, pushing the score to 20–17.
Another highlight from Bella Belen came when Jia De Guzman set her up perfectly for a powerful hit, extending Alas Pilipinas’ lead to 23–18.
Belen then delivered the match point, finding an open lane off another well-placed set from De Guzman to seal their matchpoint at 24–18.
Alyssa Solomon then sealed the victory with a powerful kill that the Kazakh libero couldn’t handle, officially sending Alas Pilipinas into the semifinals of the AVC Women’s Nations Cup.
The Philippines took the top spot in Pool A after back-to-back wins over New Zealand and Kazakhstan, bouncing back from a surprising loss to Iran.
Alas Pilipinas will face Pool B runner-up Chinese Taipei in the semifinals on Friday, with a potential finals matchup against either host Vietnam or a rematch with Kazakhstan.
