Alas Pilipinas Girls’ historic run at the FIVB Girls’ U17 World Championship came to an end Thursday after a straight-set loss to unbeaten Asian champion South Korea, 21-25, 18-25, 14-25, in the round of 16.

Alas Pilipinas briefly took control early in the second set, building a 6-5 lead on Sharina Lleses’ off-the-block kill. South Korea, however, quickly turned the momentum around and pulled away to a 21-12 advantage.

The Koreans maintained their dominance from there to take the second set and carried the momentum into the third, where they built a commanding lead and eventually secured an 11-point victory.

The Philippines, which made history by reaching the knockout stage with a 2-3 record in Pool B, will now compete in the ninth-to-16th place classification phase, where it will face Japan on Friday in Santiago.

Despite the defeat, Alas Pilipinas’ round-of-16 appearance marked a historic campaign for the Philippine girls’ team on the world stage.