OKAZAKI, Japan – Alas Pilipinas Women gave powerhouse China a big scare before running out of steam and absorbing an 18-25, 22-25, 8-25 defeat in the opening match of the volleyball competition at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Okazaki Sogo Park here.

Despite the straight-set loss, Alas Japanese coach Taka Minowa was satisfied with his team’s performance.

“I’m happy,” Minowa said.

The match served as a good warm-up for the Nationals, who need only to beat Kazakhstan on Thursday to advance to the knockout stage.

“Good warm-up for us,” added Minowa, the husband of former UAAP star Jaja Santiago.

Drawn by the support of a small group of Filipino fans chanting “Pilipinas! Pilipinas!,” the Nationals fought the Chinese tooth and nail in the second set, but the reigning champions proved too strong down the stretch.

The second set provided the most exciting action as Alas battled back to tie the game at 20-all.

However, Xin Teng joined forces with Zhuang Yushan and 19-year-old Wang Aoqian to end Alas’ spirited comeback.

Tang led China’s assault with 19 points, including eight in the second set, while Zhuang and Wang combined for 30 points.

Even local Japanese fans cheered for Alas, which drew 14 points from Angel Canino and 10 from Eya Laure.

Alyssa Solomon added nine points, while Bella Belen and Shai Nitura were held to one point each. Despite their limited production, Belen and Nitura’s efforts did not go unnoticed as they were warmly applauded by the crowd.