PH climbs 10 places in FIVB ranking

PH jumps to No. 46 in FIVB women’s rankings

Jean Malanum

June 14, 2025

Philippine News Agency

MANILA – The Philippines hopes to move up further in the world rankings with a title victory at the 2025 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Ranked No. 56 in the FIVB rankings before the tournament, the Philippines jumped to No. 46 after beating Chinese Taipei, 25-17, 25-21, 18-25, 15-25, 15-12, at the Dong Anh Arena on Friday night.

The Philippines, whose earlier victories over Mongolia, New Zealand, and Kazakhstan also contributed to its rise in the world rankings, is scheduled to meet defending champion and host Vietnam in the finals at 9 p.m. (Manila time) on Saturday.

“The program is working. The past three years (were) all upward for our national program in all disciplines – volleyball and beach – thanks to the support of our stakeholders," Ramon Suzara, president of both the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) and Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC), said in a press statement on Saturday.

When Suzara and the PNVF took over in 2021, the Alas women’s team was No. 156 in the 222-nation FIVB but jumped to No. 66 in 2023. Last year, the Philippines improved to No. 58 after placing third in the Volleyball Nations Cup at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Bella Belen, who registered a triple-double 14 points, 19 receptions, and 16 digs against Chinese Taipei, is expected to deliver again.

“I’m really happy because we were able to win this game, not just for us but for the Philippines. No words can explain how much we wanted this game and we’re going to prepare hard for us because it’s in Vietnam,” Belen said.

Brazilian coach Jorge Souza De Brito described the victory over the Taiwanese as "a gem of a win."

“We knew that semifinals are always hard and they (Taiwanese) gave us a hard night. But we also knew that we just have one chance to get to the final so I’m proud and very thankful for the girls," said De Brito, who has been supervising the Alas women's program for the past three years.

Jia De Guzman, last year's Best Setter, said Chinese-Taipei tested the team’s character.

“We're very grateful that we surpassed that test of character. Being up two sets, losing two sets, then coming back in the fifth set, that's really hard to do against a team like Chinese Taipei," she said. (PNA)