Games vs Japan club expose Alas to quality of international play
The Philippine men’s volleyball team faced star-studded Japan S V.League club Osaka Bluteon during the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals on Sept. 7 and 8 at PhilSports Arena.
The friendly games with top Japanese club teams signals the one-year countdown to the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship that will be hosted by the Philippines in September next year.
Despite dropping straight sets in both games against Osaka Bluteon, Alas Pilipinas outside hitter Noel Kampton said that playing against high-level volleyball players will help them in their preparation for the World Championship.
“That’s our goal for the World Championships: to be able to keep up with them; but we’re still very far from that,’” the La Salle volleyball star said.
Alas Pilipinas head coach Angiolino Frigoni said that Alas will need more preparation for the World Championship and the results of the matches against Osaka Bluteon reflect the level of the team today.
“You have to remember we are 64th in the [world] rankings,” Frigoni said.
The World Championship will have the Philippines and 31 other teams from top volleyball countries competing with each other from September 12 to 25 next year.
“While watching from the sidelines, I was nervous because here in the Philippines we’re strong. We [the Alas Pilipinas players] are the stars of our schools, but in the end, when it came to facing [Osaka Bluteon] we’re no one,” Kampton said.
The 24-year-old volleyball player said making themselves known outside of the Philippines is also one of the team’s goals.
After the Invitationals, Alas Pilipinas will have a training camp in Italy.
