Natalo muli sa classification round ang Alas Pilipinas matapos mabigo sa pangalawang pagkakataon kontra Venezuela, 22-25, 15-25, 25-20, 22-25, sa FIVB Girls’ U17 Volleyball World Championship sa Santiago, Chile nitong Linggo ng madaling araw (oras sa Pilipinas).
Aabante ang Venezuela sa laro para sa 13th place kontra Peru.
Paglalabanan naman ng Pilipinas at Czechia ang 15th place.
Natalo rin ang Pilipinas sa Japan, 23-25, 19-25, 16-25, Sabado ng umaga (oras sa Pilipinas) sa 9-12 bracket.
Bago iyon, kinapos sila sa Venezuela sa pool play noong Miyerkules, 19-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-19, 11-15, ngunit umabante pa rin sa bisa ng mga panalo laban sa world No. 8 Mexico (25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 25-23) at No. 20 Tunisia (27-25, 25-19, 25-16).
Ang iba pa nilang pagkatalo ay mula sa Peru (28-26, 22-25, 23-25, 20-25) at China (18-25, 15-25, 13-25) upang tapusin ang pool play na may 2-3 record.
Sa kabila ng panibagong pagkatalo, garantisado na ang Alas Girls ang may pinakamagandang pagtatapos para sa isang Philippine volleyball team sa World Championship, anuman ang magiging resulta sa classification round.
Para kay Caera Celis ng Bacolod City, masaya sila bilang unang Philippine team na sumabak sa Girls’ U17 World Championship.
“It means so much to me because being part of the first Philippine Girls’ U17 team in the World Championship is something I’ll always be proud of,” ani Celis.
“It’s a big opportunity for us to represent our country, and I’m just really grateful to be part of this team and make history with my teammates.”
Marami din silang natutunan.
“What surprised me the most is how fast and competitive the players are,” ani Celis.
“Everyone here is really good, and playing against them made me realize that there’s still so much I can improve on. I learned that I have to trust myself more, stay confident, ask for more improvements and keep learning from every game.”