HAIKOU, China — Alas Pilipinas kept its quarterfinal hopes alive in the 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Boys’ U18 Volleyball Championship after defeating Bahrain, 25-22, 13-25, 25-23, 25-14, on Monday at the Wuyuan River Gymnasium.
The victory improved the Philippines’ chances of advancing to the next round, but the young Nationals must beat India on Tuesday at 1 p.m. to secure a quarterfinal berth. Only the top two teams from each pool advance.
The Philippines and India both hold identical 1-1 records, while Iran sits atop Pool B at 2-0 after victories over both teams.
Head coach Oliver Balse said the squad remains determined to reach its goal of making the tournament’s Final Four.
“We really want to advance into the next round. That’s our goal—to be in the Top 4 teams in this tournament. I’m glad to witness how they played against Bahrain because they showed more heart and maturity this time,” said Balse.
Terrence Marticion paced Alas Pilipinas with 16 points built on 15 attacks and one block, providing the spark in a tightly contested third set that swung the match in the Filipinos’ favor.
“We just came from a loss against Iran, and we didn’t want to lose again. I gave everything I had and kept fighting. I was so focused,” Marticion said.
The Philippines dominated the fourth set by limiting its unforced errors, preventing Bahrain from mounting a comeback.
Despite having only a month and a half to prepare for the tournament, Balse was pleased with the team’s growing chemistry.
“That’s what I want to see more—the plays and more crafty shots. The skills are there, and there’s still more the team can do. I think we are improving.”
“In the second set, we were plagued with errors, and I told the team to cut them down because we were giving away points.”
Bahrain, which was led by Mohamed Haram’s 18 points, dropped to 0-2 and remains winless in the tournament.
The top two teams from Pool B will face the top two squads from Pool D in the quarterfinals. Korea (2-0) and Japan (1-0) currently lead Pool D, followed by Saudi Arabia (0-2) and Australia (0-1).
