Alas Pilipinas shows that Philippine volleyball is indeed world-class.
Four days after showing signs of fight against Tunisia, Alas Pilipinas proved that they can truly hold their own against elite opposition after upsetting world no. 21 Egypt to secure their historic first win in the FIVB Men’s World Championship.
Showing championship composure throughout the match, Alas withstood Egypt 29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21 before a rocking home crowd at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay to secure the momentous win that also kept their hopes to enter the Round of 16 alive.
It was nothing short of impressive for the Nationals, given that Egypt entered Manila as Africa’s top-ranked team, and were a year removed from their appearance in the Paris Olympics. The Pharaohs aren’t strangers to the World Championship either, with 2025 serving as their eighth-straight appearance in the global tilt.
Still, the gap in skill and experience didn’t faze the Nationals, who played like they had always been on equal footing with their Pool A foes. As early as the first set, it was clear that a different Alas Men had stepped on the taraflex — an opening frame that highlighted their improved composure and swagger, even as the Egyptians rallied behind the leadership of Seifeldin Hassan Aly and Mohamed Osman Elhaddad.
If anything, Alas’ opening frame win set the theme for Tuesday’s historic win. That while they were here by virtue of being hosts, they were in no way going to be the pushovers within the 32-team field. All they needed, after all, was the learning curve in order to familiarize themselves with the world stage.
“Parang nung nanalo kasi kami sa first set, parang feel ko, ito na ‘yung pinaka-best game namin sa buong buhay namin. After ng first set, feeling namin kaya pa rin talaga namin. Second set, lumalaban pa rin kami pero kapos,” veteran outside hitter Marck Espejo recalled in the post-game scrum.
Bryan Bagunas once again shone brightly for Alas Men after finishing with a team-high 25 points built on 22 kills, two rejections, and an ace. Similar to their game against Tunisia, the Bazooka once again showed why he remains as one of the superstars in Philippine men’s volleyball, using his veteran wits to score crafty hits and well-placed shots against the Egyptians.
This time around, however, Bagunas had ample support, starting with opposite hitter Leo Ordiales who unloaded 21 huge points after struggling mightily on opening day. From having a difficult time to find his angles, Ordiales was on target against the Pharaohs, having figured out how to attack more physically gifted defenses with his powerful spikes.
Espejo played the role of silent operator for the Nationals, unloading 13 huge points that proved to be clutch hits and timely momentum boosts against Egypt, while veteran middle blocker Kim Malabunga showed flashes of his vintage form as another sparkplug with seven points.
“Actually, hindi naman po namin inisip na manalo ng game. Sabi nga po ni coach [Angiolino Frigoni], nothing to lose kami dito, pero ayun, nung first game namin nung Tunisia, kahit kinabahan po kami, ‘yung third set po talaga ‘yung medyo nagbigay ng confidence sa amin. And ayun, na-feel namin na kaya namin dumikit kahit paisa-isa,” Espejo shared.
While the first two sets were flat out dogfights, sets 3 and 4 saw Alas Men pull away from the Egyptians, who were unable to find answers as Ordiales, Bagunas, and Espejo took turns in dismantling the defense.
Even more impressive, the Nationals more than held their own come crunch time as they continued to show immense poise in closing out a more experienced foe. In Set 3, there were the clutch kills from Alas’ veterans, including an out of system push from Bagunas that gave the Nationals a 20-19 lead that they wouldn’t squander.
Amid the closing act, Malabunga fired a perfect running attack, followed by two-straight fiery kills from Espejo that sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
By Set 4, Alas would pull away late against the Pharaohs by orchestrating a 4-0 run to break free from a 20-all deadlock. Once again, it was the veterans leading the way during, with three of Espejo’s 13 coming from this stretch alone.
As the perfect conclusion, it was Espejo who scored the winning point for Alas Men, joining hands with Malabunga and Peng Taguibolos to reject Abdelrahman Elhossiny Eissa’s shot for the Pharaohs.
The bigger picture
For Bagunas, Alas’ momentous win isn’t just another page in Philippine volleyball lore. For him, it’s the start of a bright new era where the country proves that it can hold their own outside of the Asian circuit.
“Ito na siguro ‘yung simula para ipakita namin na hindi lang kami pang SEA Games, hindi lang kami hanggang Asian Games. May ibubuga din kami sa World Championship kagaya nga nito at ‘yun nga, inenjoy lang namin,” Bagunas said.
“Sa tingin ko, malayo, malayo sobra ang mararating ng Alas. Underdog ang Pilipinas, pero sa tiyaga at suporta ng Filipinos, nandoon tayo. Kaya nating makipag-compete sa mga high-level teams.”
Head coach Angiolino Frigoni, meanwhile, couldn’t help but reflect at Alas’ growth since he took over a year ago. Having witnessed this team’s sacrifices and dedication to their craft, the Italian mentor was least surprised that they were able to mount such a historic feat on the world stage.
“This team was with me for the past 15 or 16 months. I saw them and how they have improved to play. You know? I was waiting for us to win one match, to show to everybody that we have improved in the past 16 months,” Frigoni said.
“I am 71, I have went to several World Championships, but every team has a story and a unique background…and this is why I had to lie on the floor because I was very happy,” added Frigoni, who let out an emotional roar as he celebrated on the SM MOA Arena taraflex.
With their names firmly entrenched in Philippine volleyball history, Alas Pilipinas will continue to shoot for the stars this Thursday, September 18, as they take on world no. 14 Iran for a spot into the Round of 16.
Banner images courtesy of Volleyball World.