Courtesy: Volleyball World
Alas Pilipinas advanced to the Round of 16 of the FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship despite yielding to Venezuela in five sets, 19-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-19, 11-15 at the conclusion of its group play assignments at the Liceo Mixto San Felipe in Chile early Wednesday morning.
The nationals caught the last bus going to the next stage after finishing fourth in Pool B with a 2-3 record.
The Philippines will be facing a severe acid test for a quarterfinal ticket as it is set to clash against Asian powerhouse South Korea, which topped Pool D after going unbeaten in five games.
Venezuela, on the other hand, will face Chinese Taipei in the Round of 16.
The Filipinas almost completed a reverse sweep of the Venezuelans but lost steam in the crucial stretch of the decider, where they erased a 6-10 deficit and struck five straight points for an 11-10 advantage.
Venezuela, however, went for their own assault and stopped the Philippines with a 4-0 counter attack to clinch the hard-earned win.
Caera Celis powered Alas Girls once more with 24 points off 22 attacks and two aces while Xyz Rayco continued her strong showing with 19 markers.
Team captain Lezama Colina led the South Americans with a tournament-high 27 points.
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