By el Amigo
MANILA — Korea ended the Philippines’ bid for a quarterfinal spot with a 25-21, 25-18, 25-14 victory over Alas Pilipinas in the Round of 16 of the FIVB Volleyball Girls U17 World Championship on Wednesday at Liceo Mixto Los Andes in Chile.
Caera Celis carried the scoring load for the Philippines with 14 points, producing 12 attacks, one block and one ace. Xyz Rayco added nine points as Alas Pilipinas moved into the 9th-to-16th place classification round, where it will battle Japan on Thursday in Santiago.
The Philippines kept pace with Korea in blocking, trailing only 5-7, while Alas Pilipinas produced four service aces compared with Korea’s six. The Koreans, however, were more effective offensively, building a 45-29 advantage in attacks and finding ways to score even from off-system situations.
Son Soyeon was Korea’s top scorer with 19 points on 13 attacks, while Eo Minseo finished with 15 points, including 14 kills. Korea’s reward is a quarterfinal meeting with Turkiye, which dispatched Japan, 25-18, 25-7, 25-23.
Thailand joined Korea in the last eight after pulling off an upset against Poland, 25-19, 25-21, 10-25, 25-23.
China also advanced by beating the Dominican Republic, while Chinese Taipei eliminated Venezuela. The United States swept Argentina, Italy cruised past Peru, and Croatia defeated Czechia in the other Round of 16 matches.
elamigo/xf
