Philippines salvages 13th place finish in Asian Volleyball Championship

The Philippines won't be coming home empty handed as it eked out a 25-20, 25-17, 25-23 victory against Uzbekistan to finish 13th overall in the 2023 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship on Tuesday in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

Mhicaela Belen led the way for the youth-laden squad as the former UAAP MVP dropped 17 points built on 14 attacks, one block, and two aces as the Filipinas sent Uzbekistan to the last-place finish at 14th.

Myrtle Escanlar tallied 13 markers while Arah Panique had 10 in the victory.

Prior to the win, the Philippines closed out the preliminaries with a 0-3 win-loss card after falling prey to Hong Kong, China, and Kazakhstan in Pool D. In the classification phase, they also bowed to Iran with a 25-22, 22-25, 21-25, 26-24, 12-15 defeat.

—Bea Micaller/JKC, GMA Integrated News