SCHEDULE: Alas Pilipinas women at AVC Nations Cup semifinals

MANILA, Philippines — Alas Pilipinas upset last year’s runner-up Kazakhstan, 25-21, 25-15, 25-19, to advance to the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup semifinals for the second straight year on Thursday at Dong Anh Arena in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The Filipino Spikers turned to the trio of Angel Canino, Bella Belen, and Alyssa Solomon to pounce on the taller Kazakhs, who missed injured Sana Anarkulova. They finished Pool B with a 4-1 record, taking the first seed with 13 points, just a marker ahead of their rivals.

Belen led all scorers with 16 points off 14 kills and two blocks. Solomon delivered 14 points, while Canino drilled 11 spikes, one block, and an ace to finish with 12 points and exact sweet revenge on the Philippines’  tormentor in last year’s semifinals.

Alas Pilipinas during an AVC Nations Cup game against Kazakhstan. –AVC PHOTO

Tied at 17 in the third set, Dell Palomata’s block ended Alas’ five straight points for a 22-17 spread before Kazakhstan halted their scoring run. Belen scored two consecutive attacks, followed by Solomon’s game-winning hit.

Setter and captain Jia De Guzman’s brilliant playmaking brought out the best in the troika of Belen, Solomon, and Canino, as Dell Palomata and Fifi Sharma contributed five points each.

READ: Alas Pilipinas heads into AVC Nations Cup with higher expectations

Alas battles the second seed of Pool A in a knockout semifinal on Friday, with defending champion Vietnam leading the other group with a 3-0 record, while Chinese Taipei is running second with a 2-1 card as of posting time.

The Filipino Spikers started strong in the first set and brought the momentum in the second with a 19-13 spread before the Kazakhs scored two consecutive points. They unleashed a 10-0 run capped by Solomon’s back row kill and set-clinching ace for a 2-0 advantage.

Tatyana Nikitina was the lone double-digit scorer for the Kazakhs with 12 points, while Margarita Belchenko added nine.