Bright future seen for Alas Pilipinas Beach

c/o POC/PSC Media

The future is bright for Alas Pilipinas women’s beach volleyball after collegiate players Khy Progella and Sofiah Pagara brought the Philippines to the Asian Games podium for the first time.

Progella and Pagara turned heartbreak into history, rallying from a semifinal loss to capture a historic Asian Games bronze medal—they fought back to stun China’s Cao Shuting and Dong Jie, 13-21, 23-21, 15-13, on Friday at Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court.

Alas Pilipinas beach volley coach, Brazilian Joao Luciano Kioday, relished the rise of Philippine beach volleyball, with the pair from University of Santo Tomas proving that the program is in good hands after giving the country its best Asian Games finish in beach volleyball since the sport was introduced at the 1994 Hiroshima Games.

“I think results are always a reference, right? So I think we've improved a lot with the beach volleyball that we deserve a spot on the mix, right? I know Philippine is a country very passionate for the indoor volleyball,” Kioday said.

“A lot of things going on about the indoor volleyball that I think they deserve it what they have it. But don't forget beach volleyball also deserve it,” Kioday added.

“This is for the PSC, POC, PNVF. So we do have a lot of possibilities. I always told them when I have a chance,” he said. “The potential we can have it, so I think this is the time we take the flow and use this medal in a good way, not just for one team, but for the whole program.”

Asian Volleyball Confederation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara congratulated the Pagara and Progella and the whole beach volleyball program under Kioday.

“It’s all about training, training and training and competition .. exposure,” Suzara said.

“The beach volleyball athletes has had plenty of competitions ahead of the games and they reaped the fruits of their hard work here.”

Kioday seeks to ride the momentum from an Asian Games medal breakthrough from Pagara and Progella, following Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons’ gold medal run in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games last December.

The Brazilian hopes for more international exposure for Pagara and Progella as full time beach volleyball players.

“We just want the opportunity, right? Opportunity to take Khy and Sofia, to make them a professional beach volleyball, to make them have hope to be in the Olympic one time, to be the best teams in the world because they have a talent, they have potential for this. And that's what I really hope,” he said.

Pagara agreed with Kioday.

“Sa meeting po, sabi po ni Coach Kioday sa amin, parang ang bata pa po namin sa nangyayari po sa amin ngayon,” Pagara said. “Sa amin po, meron ng experience pero hindi po kagaya sa kanila na sobrang haba po talaga ng experience nila.”

“Sobrang nakaka-overwhelm po yung nangyari. Hindi po namin expect na ganito yung nangyari pero tinarabaho po namin kung ano po talaga yung deserve namin kasi pinaghirapan po namin. So, sobrang nakaka-tuwa, nakakataba ng puso po,” she added.

Progella and Pagara’s historic run came after a near-perfect campaign.

They swept their three Pool G matches, won their round-of-16 and quarterfinal matches, and then pulled off an upset of top-seeded Japanese pair of Non and Ren Matsumoto to reach the semifinals.

Their only defeat came against Thailand’s Taravadee Naraphonapat and Worapeerachayakorn Kongphopsarutawadee, who ended their gold-medal bid with a 23-21, 21-18 win in Thursday’s semifinal.

“Para sa akin yung natutunan ko dito sa liga na ito ay maging pasensya sa sarili at tiwala talaga na kaya po kasi nandun na po yung skills po,” said Pagara.