Gutsy Alas Girls advance to U17 Worlds round of 16 despite loss

Caera Celis and Alas Pilipinas Girls players celebrate a point against Venezuela in the FIVB Girls U17 World Championship in Chile.-Alas Girls made history by becoming the first Philippine team to reach the round of 16 of a volleyball world championship.–VOLLEYBALL WORLD PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Alas Pilipinas Girls failed to complete their comeback against Venezuela, but fighting back from two sets down to force a decider was enough to earn them a spot in the round of 16 of the FIVB U17 World Championship early Wednesday (Philippine time) in San Felipe, Chile.

On the brink of bowing out of contention, Alas Girls turned to Caera Celis and Xyz Rayco to keep their bid alive before absorbing a 19-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-19, 11-15 loss. Extending the match to a fifth set was all the Filipinos needed to secure the tiebreak point and edge Mexico for the last round-of-16 ticket.

Despite its early struggles, the Philippines still had a golden opportunity to win up 11-10 in the final frame before Venezuela fired five unanswered points, three of which were courtesy of Yalesca Colina Lezama.

READ: Alas Girls’ fate on the line vs Venezuela in U17 Worlds

Venezuela finished as the second seed in Pool B with a 3-2 record behind undefeated China.

Alas Girls became the first Philippine team to advance to the last 16 of a volleyball world championship. They moved on to face AVC champion South Korea, which swept all five of its games in Pool D, on Friday in Santiago, Chile.

In 2025, Alas Pilipinas Men, led by Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo, narrowly missed the round of 16 after a heartbreaking five-set loss to Iran in their final preliminary match at Mall of Asia Arena.

Celis matched her tournament-high of 24 points, nailing 22 kills and two aces to lead Alas, while Rayco backstopped her with 19 points built on 17 spikes, one block, and an ace.

Jhaynna Bulandres had eight points, while Madele Gale added six, highlighted by three blocks.

Yalesca erupted for a game-high 27 points for Venezuela. Amanda Pacheco and Fabianny Carima had 15 and 14 points, respectively. Antonella Lovera Pacheco added 12.