The veteran-laden Philippine team will begin its campaign in the 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Cup against a taller Uzbekistan side on Saturday, 3 p.m., at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur.
Alas Pilipinas is led by volleyball icon Alyssa Valdez, who is staging a comeback to suit up for the national team after failing to bag the bronze medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
“In 2019, we were almost there, but unfortunately… It’s nice to be back, that’s what I, Jov (Gonzaga), and Ces (Molina) are talking about. That’s our motivation; hopefully, we can win and represent the country with pride and honor this time. We are very excited,” Valdez said.
With Alas Pilipinas mainstays Julia De Guzman, Bella Belen, Angel Canino and Eya Laure skipping the 2026 AVC, the country will bank on veteran outside hitters such as Valdez, Molina, Gonzaga and Ara Galang along with Trisha Tubu to anchor the wing position.
They will be joined by Alyssa Solomon, who skipped the 2026 Philippine Volleyball League (PVL) draft to focus on her national team duties
The playmaking chores will be handled by Kyle Negrito, Cloanne Mondoñedo, and Tin Ubaldo, while Thea Gagate, Jazlyn Ellarina, Clarisse Loresco, and Nina Ytang form a formidable wall at the middle-blocker position.
Providing stability in floor defense are PVL’s top libero Kyla Atienza and Alyssa Eroa.
Host Philippines is playing in pool A along with Australia, Taiwan, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea and Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan, meanwhile, parades a solid team led by Malikakhon Tursunpulatova, Mukhlisakhon Jalolova (setter), and Sevinchkhon Ikromova (libero/setter), the backbone of the squad who earned Dream Team honors at the Central Asian Volleyball Association Women’s Championship.
Shaq Delos Santos has been named interim head coach for Alas Pilipinas, taking the reins from Tai Bundit, who is currently sidelined by an injury he sustained while riding a tuk-tuk in Thailand.
Delos Santos will be accompanied by the country’s finest coaches, Sherwin Meneses, Benson Bocboc, JP Yude, Geuel Asia and Krung Arbasto.
Alas Pilipinas secured a historic second-place finish in the 2025 AVC National Cup. This achievement marked the Philippines' best finish in an Asian-level competition in 64 years.
Having successfully hosted the Men’s Southeast Asian V.League last year and several domestic professional competitions, the City of Candon, under the leadership of Mayor Eric Singson, continues to raise the bar in sports hosting.
Singson described the tournament as a “milestone event” for the city and pledged to strengthen its partnership with Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio and Asian Volleyball Confederation president Ramon Suzara in advancing sports development and promoting sports tourism.
“We are grateful to the PSC and the AVC for giving Candon City the opportunity to host an event of this scale,” Singson said. “Beyond the competition, we want to showcase our city’s readiness and, more importantly, the hospitality of our people.”
Candon City has also upgraded the 8,000-seat Candon City Arena to better support participating teams and tournament operations. It also installed a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning gym on the arena’s third floor, reinforcing its commitment to becoming a premier sports destination. NICOLE ANNE BUGAUISAN
