Harlyn Serneche urges Alas Pilipinas U18 to work harder for Asian Youth Games gold

The Philippine girls’ under-18 volleyball team is currently competing at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, where they have advanced past the preliminary round and qualified for the next stage.

The Alas Pilipinas Under-18 squad moved on after finishing second in Pool D with a 1-1 record, pulling off a stunning five-set victory over Vietnam before falling to unbeaten Thailand in straight sets.

Star Under-18 standout Harlyn Serneche understands the challenge ahead and acknowledges that the team needs to continue working hard in training and on the court if they are to contend for the girls’ volleyball crown.

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“We have to go through the eye of the needle, so we need to double our efforts in training whenever we have no matches,” Serneche said in a media interview.

PANALO! 🔥🇵🇭

Alas Pilipinas dominated 🇨🇳 China in the classification round (1–8), sweeping them in straight sets, 25-20, 25-18, 25-20! 💪🏐#AYG2025 #Volleyball #AlasPilipinas #AsianYouthGames pic.twitter.com/VLYuVRh3Gq

— Volleytrails (@volleytrails) October 23, 2025

The immediate goal for Alas Pilipinas and Serneche is to secure a good seeding for the quarterfinals, as they face China and Hong Kong in Pool F to determine their last-eight pairing.

“Of course, our goal is to win the championship, but we’re focused on taking it one game at a time because we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We’re looking forward to our match against China since we feel we can beat them as long as we give our best and move well on the court,” she added.

Alas Pilipinas is bannered by National University (NU) stars Serneche, Ysabella Cruz, Rihanna Cris Navarro, and Atasha Anne Doroja, who all played key roles in the Lady Bullpups’ UAAP Season 87 girls’ volleyball championship and their gold-medal run at the Palarong Pambansa.

“Mentally prepared naman po kaming lahat, so nag-usap na rin po kami ng mga teammates ko tungkol sa mga dapat naming gawin,” Serneche concluded.

The Philippines took a major step toward the quarterfinals of the 2025 Asian Youth Games after sweeping China in straight sets, 25-20, 25-18, 25-20, on Thursday, October 24. The victory kept Alas Pilipinas Under-18 in strong contention for a quarterfinal berth as they look to carry their momentum into their next match against Hong Kong on Friday, October 25.

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