NOW WORLD-WORTHY
From supposed token participants, Alas Pilipinas churned out a performance that validated their status as more than hosts of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.
There’s now no doubt that the Filipinos belong.
A 29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21 victory over African champion and world No. 21 Egypt on Tuesday night at Mall of Asia Arena shook the standings in their group, with the Filipinos—penciled in the pre-tournament to be taking straight sets loss night in and out being ranked 89th in the globe—now having the chance to make it to the Round-of-16.
Without a continental of regional title to speak of, Team PH came into the tournament as more than an underdog, a token participant—however harsh it may sound—since the Filipinos earned a slot in the tournament because the country is hosting the two-week event among the top 32 volleyball-playing nations in the globe.
“This is history, and I am so proud to be part of it,” Bryan Bagunas, who led all Alas scorers with 25 points built on 23 kills, said in Filipino. “This win has actually made me speechless.
Lethal trio
“We came into this game with a ‘nothing to lose’ mentality,” he went on. “But we showed what we are made of. It’s just a proud moment (for us and the country).”
The trio of Bagunas and Marck Espejo and Leo Ordiales, who vowed to bounce back from a lackluster two-point and nine-error debut in a straight-set loss to Tunisia on Friday, was at the forefront of the determined bid by the Filipinos, who rose to 1-1 in Pool A play and could make it to the KO stages with a win over Iran on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
Iran is the highest-ranked Asian team at No. 16, and should be taking another look at the Filipinos heading into their crucial match-up.
Espejo had the game-winning block which capped a 13-point performance.
“It was all instinct on my part,” Espejo said, also in Filipino, referring to the play that could forever change how the Philippines will be seen on the global stage from hereon. “I just went after it and I am very happy having pulled off that play.
“After we won the first set, I felt that it was already an achievement in itself,” Espejo added. “We just felt we could still do better.”
Ordiales had 21 points in his bounce-back game, citing the right mindset as key.
Coach Angiolino Frigoni was equally proud of how his charges performed, saying, essentially, that the win was just icing on the cake.
“I am very happy,” Frigoni said. “Not because we won, but because we were able to show that we can play well (on this stage). They gave us an opportunity to win the match and we took it.”
Iran, meanwhile, rebounded from a loss to the Egyptians with a 23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-16 victory over Tunisia earlier.
It is interesting to note, though, that the Iranians were beaten by Egypt over the weekend, making their clash with the Filipinos an interesting one.
