CANDON, Ilocos Sur — Despite a short time of gelling together as a unit, the veteran-laden Alas Pilipinas women’s national volleyball team opened its 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Cup campaign in a dominant fashion, taking down Uzbekistan, 25-16, 25-12, 25-14 on Saturday afternoon here at the Candon City Arena.
It was a statement win by host Philippines, ranked 48th in the world, against No. 97 Uzbekistan as veteran players Alyssa Valdez, Jov Gonzaga, and Ces Molina delivered on the offensive end.
Valdez lived up to her name as the “Philippine volleyball icon” after leading the host team with 14 points while Gonzaga chipped in 12.
"We're just very happy that we're here today. But there's a lot of lapses that we need to correct for our next games," Valdez said after the match.
The last time Valdez suited up for the national team was in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, while Gonzaga last represented the country in the 2022 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures.
Nina Ytang and Ces Molina added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for Alas Pilipinas.
Team Philippines will next face the Australian side at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the same venue.
