Alas women bomb out in semis, seek consolation
After another Alas Pilipinas semifinal exit in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games women’s volleyball tournament, Eya Laure’s timely return emerged as a silver lining ahead of the team’s final chance to end a 20-year medal drought.
For the fifth straight time, Alas was relegated to the bronze medal match after getting swept by Vietnam, powered by Tran Thi Thanh Thuy’s 15 points, 17-25, 14-25, 17-25, in Sunday’s semifinal at Indoor Stadium Huamark in Bangkok.
But Laure, who missed the first two games due to an abdominal strain, made an immediate impact upon her return, scoring five of her seven points in the third set.
Laure, a national team member since the 2019 SEA Games, remained focused on the goal of bringing home a medal—the program’s first since settling for bronze in the 2005 edition.
“Of course, everyone is still optimistic even after today’s loss,” Laure said. “We still believe we can do this because we’re here for each other and that’s enough for us. We’re sticking to the plan. We’ll bounce back, recover and come back better tomorrow.”
The University of Santo Tomas standout hopes to cap Alas’ consistent podium finishes in recent international tournaments, including a silver medal run in this year’s AVC Nations Cup.
