ALAS Pilipinas Women finally put a win on the board in the 2026 Asian Games, cruising past Qatar, 25-8, 25-2, 25-9, in the classification round Sunday at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan.
After back-to-back losses to China and Kazakhstan in the preliminaries, Bella Belen said the team’s biggest adjustment was simply allowing themselves to enjoy the game again.
“I think ’yun ang kulang the past few games namin, na hindi kami nag-e-enjoy kahit nakakakuha kami ng points. So, kapag hindi kami nag-e-enjoy, sobrang stiff namin,” Belen explained.
The Alas skipper said the team entered the Qatar match determined to loosen up while still respecting their opponent.
“Sabi namin this game, kailangan maging masaya lang kami para malabas namin iyung totoong laro namin. And ’yun ang nakita namin. Parang nagawa namin kung ano iyung game plan namin, and at the same time, nagkakaroon ng enjoyment sa loob ng team.”
Belen added that the Filipinas still have areas to polish, particularly their errors and communication, as they head into their remaining classification matches.
“I think iyung errors, kailangan pa namin bawasan. Since kanina, iyung game hindi ganun ka-pressured, pero masyado maraming errors. Meron pang instances sa game na medyo magulo. Nagkaroon ng mga miscommunication,” she added
The victory gave Alas Women their first win of the continental showpiece and kept alive their chance to finish as high as ninth place.
Belen, meanwhile, thanked the supporters and vowed that the team will continue giving its best for the country. “Maipapangako lang kami sa inyo na ibibigay namin iyung best namin to represent the flag.” (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
