Alas Pilipinas Women secured a historic silver finish in the second leg of the SEA V.Cup after defeating Indonesia in a thrilling four-set battle, 25-13, 23-25, 25-19, 33-31, on Sunday afternoon in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The victory marked the Philippines’ best finish in the regional tournament, capping a dominant campaign with a hard-fought win over Indonesia in the battle for second place.
The Philippines came out strong in the opening set, trading points with Indonesia early before Eya Laure’s serves and Bella Belen’s powerful attacks sparked a run.
A dominant opening set
The Filipina aces stretched their advantage to as many as nine points before Thea Gagate and team captain Jia De Guzman combined for a monster block to close out the set, 25-13.
Indonesia fought back in the second set, but the Philippines continued to hold its ground and built a three-point lead.
The Indonesians, however, answered with smart hits from Chelsa Nurtomo and Ersandrina De Vega to turn the momentum.
Laure kept her team within distance though, scoring twice to cut Indonesia’s lead to 22-24.
But a costly error from Dell Palomata handed Indonesia the set and leveled the match at one set apiece.
Nonetheless, Alas Pilipinas regained control in the third set, setting the stage for a thrilling fourth-set finish that stretched to 33-31.
Best finish by far
The silver medal marks the best finish yet for the Philippines, which had previously settled for six bronze medals in the tournament, often after beating Indonesia in the battle for third place.
The historic campaign was also a redemption of sorts for Alas Pilipinas Women after a winless run in the first leg in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The Filipinas carried that skid into the second leg, dropping their opening match to eventual gold podium finishers Thailand in straight sets, 25-19, 25-17, 25-19.
But rather than reel after another setback, the Filipinas responded with their best volleyball of the tournament yet.
The Filipinas drew strength from their four-match losing streak and produced a statement victory against higher-ranked Vietnam, snapping a six-year drought against the regional powerhouse.
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Aces make the Dream Team
The accolades continued to pour in for Alas Pilipinas Women as Alyssa Solomon and Eya Laure earned spots among the tournament’s top individual performers in the second leg of the 2026 SEA V.Cup.
Solomon successfully defended her title as Best Opposite, earning the award for the second straight leg after also taking the honor in the tournament opener.
Laure, meanwhile, claimed her first ever international individual award after being named Best Outside Spiker, capping a breakout performance in which she averaged 14.7 points per match.
She delivered her biggest performance against powerhouse Vietnam, erupting for 22 points.
She followed it up with another 17-point effort against Indonesia, powering the team to their historic silver-medal finish.
Thailand’s Sasipaporn Janthawisut led the individual award winners, earning Most Valuable Player honors while sharing the Best Outside Spiker award.
Fellow Thai national, Thatdao Nuekjang and Vietnam’s Trần Thị Bích Thủy took home Best Middle Blocker honors.
Thailand’s Pornpun Guedpard was named Best Setter, while Indonesia’s Indah Guretno Dwi Margiani received the Best Libero award.
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James Mario Ajero 
Wendellyn Mateo