By el Amigo
MANILA — The Alas Pilipinas Girls may not have returned from Chile with a medal, but they certainly came home with a milestone.
The Philippines closed its FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship campaign by defeating Czechia, 21-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-22, Sunday at the Parque Estadio Nacional in Santiago.
That victory gave the Filipinas a 15th-place finish—the best result ever posted by the country in a volleyball world championship.
It was a fitting ending to a campaign that saw the young Philippine side challenge established volleyball nations and produce several individual performances that stood out in the tournament.
Caera Celis led the way against Czechia with 25 points and finished the competition averaging 18 points per game.
Her 162 total points tied for third-best in the tournament, while her 141 attack points placed her fourth.
The rest of the squad also made significant contributions.
Xyz Rayco recorded 38 successful receptions, tied for ninth overall, while averaging 9.33 points per match.
Her teammate Nadeth Herbon finished with 33 successful receptions and 95 digs, placing her 11th among the tournament’s best defensive players.
Irish Mahinay was another standout, producing 15 aces to tie for sixth in the tournament.
The Philippines had already announced its presence early in the competition by reaching the Round of 16 with a 2-3 preliminary-round record.
Among its biggest achievements was a four-set upset of world No. 8 Mexico. The Filipinas also swept No. 20 Tunisia.
For Celis, the tournament provided lessons that went beyond the scoreboard.
Every match, she said, brought something to learn—even the defeats and mistakes.
Still, nothing compared with the feeling of winning.
“We learned a lot from every game, even when we made mistakes. But the victories were for sure the most fun we had here,” Celis said.
The historic Philippine lineup also featured Madele Gale, Megan Hernandez, Sharina Rhyza Lleses, Resty Olaguir, Frances Ramos, Jello Mauricio, Jhenica Sadia and Taj Arkhea Teves.
The 15th-place finish is now the new benchmark for Philippine volleyball at the world championship level. The previous best was an 18th-place finish by the women’s team at the 1974 FIVB World Championship in Mexico. The men’s team placed 19th in last year’s world championship.
The United States took the U17 crown after sweeping Turkiye, 25-23, 25-11, 25-23.
The Alas Pilipinas Girls, meanwhile, leave Chile with something perhaps more valuable than a medal—a historic finish, valuable international experience and a foundation for what could be an even bigger future for Philippine women’s volleyball.
elamigo/xf
