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A highly confident Alas Pilipinas U18 squad heads into the volleyball quarterfinals of the Asian Youth Games, riding on the momentum of consecutive straight-set victories over China and Hong Kong
MANAMA, Bahrain – If Alas Pilipinas U18 can dream, why not shoot for the stars?
The Filipinas stand three wins away from capturing the Asian Youth Games volleyball crown as they face Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals at the Isa Sports City in Riffa on Sunday, October 26.
Confidence is at a high for the Philippines after consecutive straight-set victories over China and Hong Kong in the classification 1st-8th that allowed it to finish second in Pool F with a 2-1 record, just behind undefeated Thailand (3-0).
“One of our goals is to become champions,” said star outside hitter Rhose Almendralejo in Filipino. “We’re not trying to be cocky, we just have a goal of winning the championship in this event.”
After suffering its only loss of the tournament by way of a sweep at the hands of Thailand to end the preliminary round, Alas U18 has rediscovered its winning form.
The Philippines crushed erstwhile unbeaten China, 25-20, 25-18, 25-20, on Thursday, October 23, then thumped Hong Kong, 25-15, 28-26, 25-11, on Friday, October 24, as it arranged a last-eight date with Chinese Taipei.
“We’re happy to reach the quarterfinals, but at the same time pressured because our opponents are getting tougher,” said Almendralejo.
A standout for the Bacolod Tay Tung High School, Almendralejo has been a key addition to the squad composed mostly of National University Nazareth School players.
The 16-year-old Almendralejo, who committed to play for the NU Lady Bulldogs in college, leads Alas U18 in scoring with an average of 17 points — her impressive campaign including a 27-point outing in a five-set win over South Korea and a 23-point showing against China.
UAAP Season 87 girls’ volleyball MVP Sam Cantada has also been steady, backstopping Almendralejo with 14.8 points as she breached double figures in each of their first four games.
Against Chinese Taipei, Almendralejo and Cantada are once again expected to do most of the heavy lifting.
“We’re looking forward to win so we can reach the semifinals, then the finals,” said Almendralejo. – Rappler.com
