Alas Pilipinas Women at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games. POC Media Pool
Alas Pilipinas Women snagged a string of wins in the classification phase of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, sweeping Mongolia, 25-13, 25-11, 25-20, on Monday at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium.
It was a second straight win for the Nationals, a day after overwhelming Qatar, 25-8, 25-2, 25-9, to progress in the classification round.
Balanced attack from Angel Canino, Alyssa Solomon, and Bella Belen paved the path to victory, with the three stars scoring double digits.
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Canino fired 14 points on 13 attacks and one block, Solomon had 12 points on 11 attacks and one ace, while Belen chipped in 11 markers.
Unlike the first two sets, the Mongolians kept the match relatively closer in the final frame, but the Filipina spikers gradually carved the distance. From a nine-all count, the scores turned into a 16-12 gap, to which the Taka Minowa-coached squad kept until the final point.
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A Belen off-speed hit from the backrow put Alas on match point, 24-19, but Enkhkhuslen Purevsuren was there for a last hurrah, saving a point on a combination play.
Shaina Nitura then scored her fifth point on a through-the-block kill and Alas' game-clinching point to close out the match in one hour and three minutes.
Ninjbolor Battur paced the other side with nine points on eight attacks and one block.
With the win, Alas heads to the ninth place match against Hong Kong, scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 22.