The Philippine women's volleyball team claimed its first win in the 6th AVC Cup for Women at the expense of Kazakhstan, 25-22, 25-23, 20-25, 25-17, Tuesday at the Korat Chatchai Hall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
After collapsing in two straight five-setters, the Philippines finally displayed a killer instinct against Kazakhstan to close out the game in four sets.
The Philippines capped off the preliminary round with a 1-2 record in Pool C, while Kazakhstan remained winless in three outings. Both teams will still compete in the classification phase.
The Philippines initially led 12-7 in the opener before Kazakhstan caught up and a tight back-and-forth affair ensued. After several deadlocks, Alyssa Valdez powered through a triple block to secure the first set.
Mylene Paat delivered the goods early in Set 2 but Kazakhstan once again recovered from a slow start. The Filipinas pulled away 22-18 before the Kazakhs' solid blocking made it a one-point ballgame. Alexandra Mechshaninova fired an ace to knot it at 23 before committing a service error and getting denied by Jia Morado opposite the net.
With their backs against the wall, the Kazakhs' dominated the third frame, roaring to a 7-1 start and maintaining their aggressiveness all throughout. The Philippines struggled to gain any rhythm as multiple errors hounded the team. Anastassiya Rostovchshikova extended the match with a down-the-line hit.
The Filipinas refused to let another game slip away as they regrouped late in Set 4. They turned an 11-14 deficit to an 18-14 advantage with a run capped by an ace from Valdez. From there, the Philippines showed better execution with Grethcel Soltones scoring crucial points down the stretch to help seal the win.
The Philippine team will return to action on Friday, September 21.