ALYSSA Solomon and Bella Belen carried the Philippines’ Monolith Skyrisers to a 25-19, 25-18, 19-25, 25-18 victory yesterday over Iran’s Saipa Club in the Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship at the Chatchai Hall in Nakhon Ratchasima in Thailand.
The youngsters from National University outworked the Iranian crew with opposite hitter Solomon dropping 22 points and skipper Belen firing 20 markers to lead the offense of the Skyrisers.
Vange Alinsug, Erin Pangilinan and Alexa Mata combined for 24 points for the Skyrisers as the team rose to 1-0 in Group B.
It was also the debut of pro league champion coach Sherwin Meneses for NU.
“We came here not just to play and gather experience, but we also wanted to showcase our skills as a team. We knew that we would be up against really strong teams, and we need to be an equally strong team to compete in this field,” said Belen via the website of the Asian Volleyball Confederation.
The Filipina spikers outplayed Sapia Club not only in attacks but also in the service game, dropping a total team of 10 aces compared to the Iranian’s one.
The eventual AVC champion and runner-up will book spots in the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship, set from Dec. 16 to 22, and will compete against Italy’s Carraro Imoco Conegliano and Allianz Vero Volley Milano, Brazil’s Gerdau Minas and Dentil Praia Clube, Egypt’s Zamalek SC and the host team from China.
