Alas Pilipinas Boys stood just one set away from making history.
Instead, the young Nationals were left to wonder what could have been after India stormed back from two sets down to complete a stunning 16-25, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23, 15-4 victory on Tuesday at the Wuyuan River Gymnasium in Haikou, China, ending the Philippines’ bid for a breakthrough quarterfinal appearance in the AVC Boys’ U18 Volleyball Championship.
The heartbreaking defeat dropped Alas Pilipinas to third place in Pool B with a 1-2 record, leaving the Philippines out of the knockout stage as Iran (3-0) and India (2-1) secured the group’s two quarterfinal berths. Bahrain finished winless at 0-3.
The Filipinos appeared to be in complete control early.
Behind the attacking trio of Terrence Marticion, Ar-Raquib Dais, Djomari Gamotea, and John Daniel Dela Cruz, Alas dictated the pace in the opening two sets, overwhelming India with balanced offense and aggressive net play to move within a frame of the last eight.
But the momentum slowly shifted.
India settled into the match in the third and fourth sets, making key defensive adjustments while finding answers to the offensive schemes orchestrated by Alas captain Howard Guerra.
The comeback forced a winner-take-all fifth set, where the Philippines attempted another tactical adjustment by moving Guerra to an open hitter role while Louie Jeff Gallego took over playmaking duties.
The gamble, however, failed to slow down an Indian side that entered the decider full of confidence.
Team captain Sourabh Kashma, together with Adarsh Singh and Deepak Deepak, fueled a blistering start that gave India an early 8-2 advantage.
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Heartbreak for Alas Pilipinas
After taking a 2–0 lead,
Alas Pilipinas saw its quarterfinal berth slip away, falling to
India in a heartbreaking five-set reverse sweep, 2–3.
The Philippines will now compete in the 9th–16th classification rounds of the AVC Boys’ U18… pic.twitter.com/4VwBQCFTBZ
— Volleytrails (@volleytrails) July 14, 2026
Gamotea briefly halted the run with a block on Kashma, but India immediately answered with four straight points to seize complete control at 12-3.
Guerra managed one final crosscourt kill, yet a costly net violation pushed India to match point before Kashma capped his stellar performance with back-to-back service aces to complete the dramatic comeback.
“We were so close; we were already there, but we fell short. We did not hold on until the end. There are situations where we could take the set and win, but maybe this match is not for us,” head coach Oliver Balse said.
“I am still happy with how they performed, because I can really see the skills, but the maturity is something that we really need to work on,” he added.
Marticion paced the Philippines with 16 points built on 14 attacks and two service aces.
Galapin and Dais backed him with 14 points apiece, while Gamotea and Dela Cruz added nine markers each in the losing effort.
Despite the painful exit from quarterfinal contention, the players remained determined to finish the tournament on a positive note.
“We are thankful since we gave our best. No one was injured, and we will do our best in the classification round,” Marticion said.
“We still keep our heads up high, and this serves as a hard-learned lesson for us. Still, we are inspired to do better in our own leagues in the Philippines,” he added.
Kashma powered India with a match-high 31 points, while Deepak contributed 16 as India completed one of the tournament’s biggest comebacks to keep its medal hopes alive.
The Philippines will now shift its focus to the classification phase, with its next opponent to be determined after the conclusion of the remaining Day 3 matches.
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