The veteran-laden Philippine team will begin its campaign in the 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Cup against a taller Uzbekistan side on Saturday, 3 p.m., at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur.
Alas Pilipinas is led by volleyball icon Alyssa Valdez, who is staging a comeback to suit up for the national team after failing to bag the bronze medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
“In 2019, we were almost there, but unfortunately… It’s nice to be back, that’s what I, Jov (Gonzaga), and Ces (Molina) are talking about. That’s our motivation; hopefully, we can win and represent the country with pride and honor this time. We are very excited,” Valdez said.
With Alas Pilipinas mainstays Julia De Guzman, Bella Belen, Angel Canino and Eya Laure skipping the 2026 AVC, the country will bank on veteran outside hitters such as Valdez, Molina, Gonzaga and Ara Galang along with Trisha Tubu to anchor the wing position.
They will be joined by Alyssa Solomon, who skipped the 2026 Philippine Volleyball League (PVL) draft to focus on her national team duties
The playmaking chores will be handled by Kyle Negrito, Cloanne Mondoñedo, and Tin Ubaldo, while Thea Gagate, Jazlyn Ellarina, Clarisse Loresco, and Nina Ytang form a formidable wall at the middle-blocker position.
Providing stability in floor defense are PVL’s top libero Kyla Atienza and Alyssa Eroa.
Host Philippines is playing in pool A along with Australia, Taiwan, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea and Uzbekistan.
