A GLORIOUS EXIT
From living a dream to a nightmare.
That was how one short sequence of events transformed Alas Pilipinas’ fate on Thursday night, when the Filipinos were celebrating an emotional victory on the court before breaking down in defeat as their run in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship came to an end at the hands of Iran.
A successful net fault challenge was what Iran needed to turn the tide, as it denied the Philippines from marching into the round of 16 that left a packed Mall of Asia Arena gallery in disbelief after the Iranians eventually carved out a 21-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 22-20 win.
But Alas’ Italian coach, Angiolino Frigoni, couldn’t be prouder at how his undersized, underappreciated crew stood up to the challenge of some of the world’s best.
“You saw them. I don’t have to tell you anything,” Frigoni said. “Everybody saw how they fought. For that, I am proud. Because we never, never give up.”
Even his fellow Italian, Robert Piazza, who calls the shots for Iran, was all praises for the Filipinos, whom he believed deserved to be part of the round of 16 if not for the breaks of the game.
“The Philippines played an amazing game. They deserve to be in the 16 teams like us,” Piazza said. “I need to congratulate my colleague from Italia, Angiolino. He did an amazing job. This guy has proven a lot. I’m happy because I am in front (of victory), at the same time, I’m not happy because Angiolino lost.”
Frigoni took 16 months to turn an Alas Pilipinas team composed of veterans recovering from injuries like Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo and young guns Owa Retamar, Leo Ordiales, Peng Taguibolos, Josh Ybañez, Buds Buddin, Lloyd Josafat and Jade Disquitado to prove that they are truly world-class.
Labeled as a token participant for being the host of the prestigious 32-nation world tilt, Alas proved that it belonged after earning a historic 29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21 win over African champion Egypt on Tuesday before pushing world No.16 and Asian powerhouse Iran to its limits.
Bagunas said the heartbreaking end to their once-in-a-lifetime World Championship experience is just the beginning of the program’s rise.
“We were able to show what men’s volleyball in the Philippines is capable of,” Bagunas said. “I think this is just the beginning.
“Hopefully, this sparks something that keeps going,” he went on. “We just hope our fellow Filipinos continue to support us, so we can show the world that Philippine men’s volleyball has real potential.”
As he makes his return to Japan SV.League with the Osaka Bluteon after this World Championship, Bagunas urges his teammates not to stop and keep striving hard as they seek glory in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in December.
“This was a good experience for us. Our coaches told us, do not stop, continue training and improving every day, and we still have to be down-to-earth so we would be able to show our best in every game,” said the Alas captain.
