To prove they belong, battle cry of Rayco, Alas Girls in World tilt

Xyz Rayco and the young Alas Pilipinas crew are raring to leave their mark in the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship to be played from August 6 to 16 in Santiago, Chile.

Rayco led a rag-tag squad, which only had a few weeks to prepare, to a fifth-place finish in last year’s AVC U16 Women’s Volleyball Championship in Amman, Jordan, last November.

Article continues after this advertisement

With China being the defending champion and automatically qualified for the World Championship, the Alas girls—the youngest national volleyball team of the country—became the first Philippine volleyball squad that earned a ticket to a World Championship without the need to host after the Alas men played in the Men’s World Championship last year, while the women’s team will host the 2029 edition.

Rayco, the leading scorer of that historic team, is now a more confident player heading to her World debut, as the Philippines is grouped in Pool B with the Chinese, Peru, Mexico, Venezuela and Tunisia.

“I’ve improved a lot compared to last year’s AVC. I’m much more confident now, and I’ve learned so much from training and the international tournaments I’ve played in,” the National University Nazareth School standout told the Inquirer in Filipino. “I think what the team expects from me is to be consistent, always be ready to help, and do my job on the court.”

The 15-year-old Rayco has been training with U16 holdovers Nadeth Herbon, Resty Jane Olaguir, Megan Hernandez, Jhenica Sadia, Madele Gale and Frances Ramos as well as newcomers Caera Celis, Irish Mahinay, Jhaynna Bulandres, Sharina Lleses, Princess Khaira Manzano, Taj Arkhea Teves and Andrea Mauricio.

Article continues after this advertisement

“It’s a big advantage that we’ll be representing the country together again,” she said. “Because we already know each other’s game, that familiarity will really help us perform better as a team.

“So far, our preparation has been going well. Everyone has been contributing and stepping up in training,” she went on. “We still have a lot of adjustments to make since we all came from different schools, but we’ve already seen a lot of improvement, especially in our teamwork both on and off the court.

“I believe we’re all ready to represent the Philippines at the World Championship,” she added.

Article continues after this advertisement

The Alas girls only had limited time to prepare, but it won’t stop Rayco and the rest of the team from proving that they deserve the spot they earned and that they belong in the World Championship.

“It’s very inspiring because not everyone gets the chance to play in the World Championship,” she said. “It’s a different feeling when you’re representing the Philippines. We’re very grateful that we earned this spot through our performance in last year’s AVC tournament and not because we were the host.

“We know these games won’t be easy because we’ll be facing some of the best teams in the world, but we promise to give everything we have and play with all our hearts every match. We’ll do our best to show that we can compete with the best.”