ALAS PILIPINAS earned its second consecutive victory in the VTV Cup 2025 held in Vietnam, swiftly sweeping Australia, 25-13, 25-15, 25-20, on Tuesday afternoon to wrap up the pool stage with a 2-1 win-loss slate.

After suffering a straight-sets defeat to host nation and volleyball powerhouse Vietnam in their opener, the Philippine women’s national team bounced back with back-to-back wins to close out group play.

Their latest triumph followed a solid four-set win against Chinese club Sichuan the day before, 25-12, 25-22, 19-25, 25-15. With this performance, Alas Pilipinas secured second place in Pool A, trailing only unbeaten Vietnam.

Filipinas in Control

Rookie Alleiah Malaluan stepped up in the third set, delivering a strong attack from the open wing to push the Philippines ahead, 12-8, before Dell Palomata fired an ace to extend the lead to 14-10.

Malaluan added a smart tip to the opposite side, followed by a lucky net dribbler from skipper Jia De Guzman that padded the lead to 16-11.

Australia tried to fight back with a 3-1 spurt, but substitute setter Tia Andaya displayed the team’s depth, blocking an Aussie attempt and assisting Vanie Gandler for a back row hit to widen the gap to 22-15.

A sharp cross-court kill by Malaluan brought the team to match point, then she teamed up with fellow La Salle standout Amie Provido for the decisive block that sealed the sweep.

Just weeks ago, Alas Pilipinas also made waves in the AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup, reaching the finals for the first time in the national federation’s 64-year history.

Despite a one-sided loss to Vietnam in the championship match, 25-15, 25-17, 25-14, the Filipinas still walked away with a historic silver medal.

Now riding high off another convincing win, the national squad heads into the VTV Cup quarterfinals, where they’re slated to face Thailand’s Est Cola.