MANILA, Philippines – With only a week to prepare and just another to prove its worth, Alas Pilipinas aims to ride its surprisingly favorable odds and stretch it to a three-game winning streak in as many days against Iran on Saturday, May 25, in the 2024 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup.

With multi-awarded setter captain Jia de Guzman still calmly steering the ship in international waters, the likes of young star spikers Angel Canino and Eya Laure continue to thrive – both not dipping below 17 points yet – in Alas’ first two convincing wins against Australia and once-unbeaten India.

Against a world No. 57 Iran side carrying a 1-1 record, Philippine head coach Jorge Souza de Brito may start to loosen up his airtight rotation, so as to not only give his main stars some much-needed rest, but also boost his bench’s confidence.

Up-and-coming stars like Vanie Gandler and Faith Nisperos have yet to see meaningful minutes at the consistently packed Rizal Memorial Coliseum, but the situation may just change soon as Alas conserves its energy for a possible cross-pool playoff run against the stacked Pool B.

Should Australia (1-1) lose against India (2-1) in the match preceding the Philippines-Iran main event, a subsequent Alas win will already guarantee the host country a knockout semifinal spot.

Can Alas continue to go all in with fatigue slowly becoming a factor, or will Iran dampen the home crowd’s mood with a momentum-breaking win?

First serve is still at 7 pm. – Rappler.com