The Philippine women’s volleyball team continued its winning streak at the 2022 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Cup for Women with a 25-18, 25-13, 25-17 sweep of young South Korea at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on Thursday, August 25.
With the win, the hosts finished the pool phase with a 2-2 record, setting up a huge quarterfinal challenge on Saturday, August 27, against Thailand, the feared volleyball queens of Southeast Asia.
Jema Galanza again topscored for the Philippines with 12 points, while Tots Carlos scored 11 off 8 attacks, 2 blocks, and 1 ace.
Ced Domingo and Michele Gumabao tallied 9 and 7 points, respectively, with a game-high 3 blocks apiece, while reserves such as Rose Vargas, Pau Soriano, and Lorie Bernardo earned extra playing time in the lopsided affair.
After gaining momentum with 5 saved set points in the first frame, the Korean kids – coming in with an average age of 17 years old – fought hard early in the second up to a 9-all tie. However, the veteran Filipinas regained control with a pivotal 10-1 spurt, ending with a Domingo ace for a 19-10 gap.
The two teams played the same script in the third, as Korea mounted an 8-7 start, before the Philippines staged an 8-1 pullaway, capped by a Bernardo ace for a 15-9 Philippine advantage, and never looked back.
“We’re happy that we got to the quarterfinals. Hopefully, our performance improves by then. We have one day preparation, so we’ll do our best to perform well,” said Philippine head coach Sherwin Meneses in Filipino.
“Thailand has a lot of exposure in international tournaments, but we’ll try our best to have a great game. Thailand’s chemistry is already good even though they are also young.”
China topped Pool A with a 4-0 record, while Vietnam finished with a 3-1 slate. Iran booked the last playoff ticket at 1-3, while Korea bottomed out with an outright ninth place finish at 0-5.
Japan soared to the top of Pool B with a 3-0 slate as Thailand settled for second with a 2-1 record. Chinese Taipei clinched third place at 1-3, while Australia lagged to the quarterfinals winless at 0-3.
