A promising start turned into a disappointing exit for Alas Pilipinas Women, who bowed out of the Asian Games quarterfinal race after Kazakhstan prevailed in four sets, 27-29, 26-24, 25-23, 25-19, on Thursday at the Okazaki Central Park General Gymnasium.
The Filipinas needed a victory to keep their knockout-stage hopes alive following their opening-day loss to defending champion China.
Instead, Kazakhstan recovered from a first-set setback and won the next three frames to claim the decisive Pool B victory.
The Philippines had the opportunity to establish an early advantage after taking the opening set in a marathon finish. Kazakhstan, however, answered with a narrow second-set win, setting the tone for the remainder of the match.
The third set again went down to the wire, with the Kazakhs producing the crucial points to move within one set of victory.
Kazakhstan then broke away in the fourth frame, building an 18-12 lead as the Philippine side struggled with errors. The deficit proved difficult to overcome, allowing the Kazakhs to close out the match.
Angel Canino carried the Philippine attack with 24 points, while Alyssa Solomon supplied 20 in the losing effort.
Eya Laure finished with seven points, while Bella Belen, Dell Palomata, Thea Gagate and Amie Provido each scored four.
Kazakhstan’s offense was led by Tatyana Nikitina, who registered 19 points. Zhanna Syroyeshkina added 17, while Polina Ufimtseva and Kristina Belova contributed 14 and 12, respectively.
The result ended Alas Women’s bid for a quarterfinal berth in the 2026 Asian Games.
The Philippine squad will now compete in the classification round, where it will seek to finish its continental campaign on a strong note. (Adrian Co)
