By MARK REY MONTEJO
Alas Pilipinas inserted veteran players to its roster in lieu of collegiate standouts but still found Vietnam too hard to crack and absorbed a 25-20, 25-21, 25-21 defeat in the Women’s Volleyball Cup at the Vinh Phuc Gymnasium Sunday, June 29.
Despite the additions of Brooke Van Sickle, Tia Andaya, Maddie Madayag, and MJ Phillips, the Nationals still fell short in their bid to get back at the Vietnamese who were lustily cheered on by the home fans.
The win was the second for the home squad which beat the Nationals two weeks ago in the AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup Finals.
Van Sickle and Co. will try to barge into the win colium when they face China-based club Sichuan this Monday, June 30, at 5:30 p.m.
Leila Cruz, who plays for Capital1 in the PVL, topscored for the Nationals with 13, while Van Sickle backed her up with 12. Phillips and Dell Palomata combined for 18 points.
Skipper Jia De Guzman was at her usual best with her playmaking prowess but the Vietnamese were too classy for them.
The Vietnamese side, as expected, was anchored by Tran Thi Thanh Thuy and Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen.
