CANDON CITY, Ilocos Sur — Alas Pilipinas closed its 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Cup campaign on a sour note, bowing to Iran in straight sets, 25-21, 25-12, 25-21, on Sunday morning at the Candon City Arena.
The loss marked the Philippine women’s volleyball team’s worst finish in three years, slipping from a podium run in previous editions — bronze in 2024 and silver in 2025 — to a disappointing campaign reminiscent of their seventh-place result in 2023.
Plagued by errors, Team Philippines handed Iran 20 free points, while also trailing in attacks, 42-31. The Filipinas struggled to find rhythm on both ends, with Iran dominating the service line, 8-2.
Alyssa Solomon led Alas Pilipinas with 12 points, standing as the lone double-digit scorer. Support came in limited fashion, with Jov Gonzaga adding six points, Niña Ytang contributing five, and Alyssa Valdez finishing with four.
Iran leaned on Elaheh Elahe, who paced all scorers with 18 points, while Fatemah Khalili chipped in nine markers to anchor their dominant performance.
Unable to sustain momentum throughout the match, Alas Pilipinas faltered defensively and offensively, ultimately capping their campaign with a setback that signals a step back from their recent international success.
