Alas Women capture historic SEA V Cup silver after outlasting Indonesia

Alas Women secured a historic silver medal in the 2026 SEA V Cup after surviving a thrilling battle against Indonesia, 25-13, 23-25, 25-19, 33-31, on Sunday at Chiang Mai Stadium in Thailand.

After a disappointing opening leg, the Philippines bounced back strongly and secured its first-ever silver medal in the regional tournament behind a composed performance in a marathon fourth set.

The Filipinas faced a major challenge in the final frame as Indonesia threatened to force a deciding set. Arsela Nuari Purnama’s attack off the block gave Indonesia set point at 24-22, but Bella Belen kept the Philippines alive with a crucial attack.

Fifi Sharma then delivered a key block against Ersandrina Devega to force deuce, beginning a tense back-and-forth battle that featured multiple match points for both sides.

With the score tied at 31-all, Alyssa Solomon kept Alas alive with a powerful cross-court attack before Sharma rejected Devega at the net. Indonesia then committed the decisive error when Devega sent her next attack long, giving the Philippines the historic victory.

“We were just saying that nothing to expect. So I just told everybody to focus on ourselves and not focus on the opponent’s side because what we can control is only on our side. And so, they did it,” said Alas Women head coach Taka Minowa.

The victory marked Minowa’s first tournament at the helm of the national team.

“We just trained for 15 days and came to Vietnam and Thailand [legs]. For sure, we’re just starting the program, and we have a lot of opportunities, a lot of space to improve [after] this game,” he added.

Solomon led all scorers with 19 points, all from attacks, as the Philippines avenged its four-set loss to Indonesia in the opening leg.

Belen posted a double-double with 17 points and 15 excellent digs, while Laure also scored 17 points with 14 attacks, three blocks, and eight excellent digs.

Dell Palomata added nine points, while Justine Jazareno and Dawn Catindig anchored the defense with 15 and 14 excellent digs, respectively.

The Philippines dominated the opening set after overcoming an early 11-10 deficit with a 12-point run to seize a 22-11 lead.

Indonesia responded by taking the second set, but Alas regained control in the third after pulling away from a 9-all tie behind Palomata’s timely blocks and strong net defense.

Arsela Nuari Purnama led Indonesia with 19 points and nine excellent digs, while Medi Yoku added 18 points and 17 excellent digs.