A spirited run in the World Championship won’t be a source of complacency for Alas Pilipinas Men.
Marck Espejo is well aware of the target on Alas Pilipinas’ backs heading into the 33rd Southeast Asian Games this December.
Having put the world on notice during the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship last September, Espejo knows there are added expectations for Alas Men to perform in the SEA Games — a challenge that he and the Nationals are taking to heart as they prepare for the biennial meet.
“Maganda ‘yung tinakbo ng team during the World Championship, so coming into the SEA Games medyo may mabigat po na expectations, may pressure kasi syempre nakita po ng mga tao ‘yung performance ng Alas,” Espejo told The GAME in a recent exclusive interview.
Alas Men scored a historic win against Egypt in the World Championship, and nearly upset Iran to enter the Round of 16. The Nationals ultimately finished 19th in the 32-team field and were the second-highest-ranked Asian team behind Team Melli at the end of the global showpiece.
Still, even as they held their ground on the world stage, Espejo said that the Nationals remain grounded heading into the SEA Games, where they will face regional powerhouses Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
“Lahat po talaga ng tao, nage-expect na magpe-perform kami sa SEA Games, pero syempre challenge pa rin po ‘yan and underdog pa rin po kami sa SEA Games and gagawin lang po namin ‘yung best namin at hopefully maka-podium,” Espejo said.
While he’s confident in their potential, Espejo stressed that Alas Men will continue to take things step-by-step in their attempt to cop their first SEA Games medal since 2019.
“Since maganda ‘yung tinakbo nung World Championship, I hope na lahat ng players is ma-feel na kaya talaga. So every game talaga importante and ita-try muna namin umabot ng quarterfinals and hopefully step-by-step,” reflected the veteran spiker.
Espejo also expressed belief in his Spikers’ Turf team, the Criss Cross King Crunchers, to continue fighting for a breakthrough title in his absence. Espejo, along with other Alas Men members in the men’s league, is expected to leave mid-conference to ramp up their preparations for the SEA Games.
Also expected to be pulled out are Espejo’s Criss Cross teammates in Kim Malabunga and Eco Adajar; Cignal’s Owa Retamar, Vince Lorenzo, Louie Ramirez, and Lloyd Josafat; UST-Gameville’s Josh Ybañez, and PGJC-Navy libero Jack Kalingking.
“Kahit naman wala po kami nagpe-perform ‘yung team, but syempre hanggang nandito kami sa Criss Cross, ibibigay namin ‘yung best namin kapag ginagamit kasi syempre hindi namin alam kung kailan kami mapu-pull out. Pero confident ako sa team na magpe-perform sila this conference.”
Images from the Philippine National Volleyball Federation on Facebook.