Alas spikers wow hometown crowd

MANILA, Philippines — Displaying incredible grit, Alas Pilipinas tamed a higher-ranked India, 22-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-18, last night to continue its surge in the AVC Women’s Challenge Cup before another sellout crowd at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

It was the second straight victory for the Filipinas who shoved the Indians, ranked 57th in the world compared to the Filipinas 62nd, down to 2-1.

Angel Canino swooped down on the Indians with 22 points while Eya Laure had 19.

The country could claim a spot to the crossover semis if it beats Iran tonight or Chinese Taipei tomorrow – or both.

Earlier, Vietnam pulled off a 25-14, 25-19, 14-25, 25-23 smashing of Kazakhstan to claim the first spot in the semifinals.

Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen fired 30 points as the Vietnamese, who ruled last year’s edition in Gresik, East Java in Indonesia, rolled to their third win in a row.

Vietnam goes for a Pool B sweep against Indonesia tomorrow. Kazakhstan fell to 1-1.

Iran claimed its first win in two starts with a 24-26, 25-20, 25-18, 28-26 triumph over Chinese Taipei, which fielded its under-23 squad.