Eya Laure finds stride again to help Alas Pilipinas go out with bronze

Eya Laure and Alas Pilipinas celebrate a point against Australia in the AVC Challenge Cup 2024 battle for bronze. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Eya Laure made sure to bounce back from her struggles in the AVC Challenge Cup semifinal, helping Alas Pilipinas end its campaign with a bronze medal that shone like gold.

Less than 24 hours before making history, Laure went to the stands and cried in front of her University of Santo Tomas and Chery Tiggo coach KungFu Reyes after she was limited to just three points and was benched in the third frame of their straight-set loss to Kazakhstan in their knockout semis game.

Licking the wounds of her bad game, the Chery Tiggo star made up for her struggles and delivered 10 points in Alas Pilipinas’ 25-23, 25-15, 25-7 win over Australia  Wednesday at Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

READ: AVC Cup: Angel Canino-Eya Laure tandem powering Alas Pilipinas

“Honestly, I know the game I played yesterday was bad. I couldn’t contribute. I felt embarrassed in front of Ate Sisi [Rondina] because it was the semifinals and I suddenly was unable to perform.” Laure said. “I got frustrated, so I kinda cried to Ate Sisi [and coach KungFu] yesterday. My mindset today was just to bounce back and grab that bronze.”

Laure may have regrets struggling in an all-important but Sisi Rondina remained be proud of her former UST teammate.

“I’m happy for her (Eya) because it’s another achievement for her, and also for me and for us,” Rondina said.

“We’re grateful because everything paid off. We’ve been through a lot, like we’ve been running non-stop, but here we are now, standing in front of our fellow countrymen. We got the bronze today, and we’re happy that they’re still here with us until the end.

Laure said that she wouldn’t be able to play well for the country alone, saying her reunion with Rondina was an additional inspiration along with the homecrowd support.

“All the team members of Alas–coaching staff, and those who support us–we were able to do this because of them. Of course, they were the first ones to believe,” she said.

“We’ were here to play for our country, and we’re happy with the outcome because we didn’t really expect much. Our agreement was just to show what we’re capable of to fight for our country, to show other countries that us Filipinos also have something to offer.”

After their tandem played a big factor in Alas’ Challenge Cup success, Laure and Rondina are looking forward to continue representing the country but for now, they will take a much-needed rest.