Alas Pilipinas loses close exhibition match to Powerful Daegu

Alas Pilipinas Women lost a closely contested match against South Korea's Powerful Daegu with a score of 26-24, 23-25, 23-25, 25-16, and 8-15 in the 'Serve-Spike Unite!' exhibition game on Friday.

The Filipinas led Set 1 but faltered after losing Sets 2 and 3, only to rally back in Set 4 before succumbing in the decisive fifth set due to a service error from Julia Coronel.

Despite contributions from Angel Canino and Faith Nisperos earlier in the match, Alas Pilipinas struggled early on in the final set as they fell behind 1-5 and eventually lost steam.

This was Alas' first game since winning bronze in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup in Manila, with Sisi Rondina not seeing action due to prioritizing rest following the tournament.

The exhibition match is part of Alas Pilipinas' preparation for the upcoming 2024 FIVB Challenger Cup, which the Philippines will host in early July and also celebrates the 75th year of Philippine-Korea diplomatic relations.