THE Alas Pilipinas Men held the upper hand several times but Osaka Bluteon asserted its superiority and scored a 25-17, 25-10, 25-21 victory in the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals on Sunday at the Philippine Arena in Pasig City.
Olympian and Filipino fan favorite Yuji Nishida again came up huge for the Japan V.League squad with 12 points, seven from attacks, four aces and a block as the visitors completed a sweep of the two exhibition matches against Alas Pilipinas.
Still, Alas Pilipinas team members were elated after the weekend volleyball spectacle, with team captain Kim Malabunga noting that the matches helped identify the areas they need to work on.
Although the Philippines seized the lead several times, Osaka Bluteon was always quick to recover.
“The speed in blocking, quickness in other areas. These are just a few of the things we need to focus on,” Malabunga said. “Individually and as a team, we have to improve in preparation for the world championships.”
The invitationals are part of the events for the one-year countdown to the FIVB Volleyball World Men’s Championship the Philippines is hosting from September 12 to 28, 2025.
“It’s a very good experience. It was very very difficult but for us, it was a very good experience,” Alas Pilipinas coach Angiolino Frigoni said.
Six-foot-2 Cuban Miguel Angel Lopez Castro scored 10, with nine from attacks plus an ace for the Japanese club, six-time champions in the Japanese top flight.
Buds Buddin and Jade Disquitado wowed the crowd as they got all their points from attacks, the former notching nine points and the latter six.
THE Alas Pilipinas women showed marked progress in a short period, giving nine-time Japan champiob Saga Hisamitsu Springs a brief scare before dropping a 14-25, 21-25, 19-25 loss on Sunday in the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals at the PhilSports Arena.
Alyssa Solomon came up two crucial points in an impressive run that put Alas Pilipinas women ahead 16-12 in the second set.
Eya Laure, Fifi Sharma and Vanie Gandler also had a hand in the intense offensive that drew huge cheers from the appreciative Sunday crowd.
Saga Hisamitsu Springs, however, managed to regroup fast and douse cold water on the Philippine charge, keeping Alas Pilipinas Women scoreless in the next possessions to tie the score at 16 and regain control.
Twenty-one-year-old opposite hitter Mika Yoshitake showed the way for Hisamitsu Springs with 16 points, 14 from attacks, as the visiting team completed a two-match sweep of their weekend duel with the Filipina spikers.
Ayane Kitamado, 20, delivered nine points, all on attacks as 25-year-old Sae Nakajima scored nine, including seven on attacks.
Alas Pilipinas Women coach Jorge Souza de Brito said he was pleased with the performance, noting that the numbers do not matter at this stage.
“It’s good for us,” said de Brito, who steered Alas Pilipinas Women to bronze medal finishes in the Southeast Asian V.League last month.
“We need to give exposure to all of them … we need more matches at this level. We need international-level play since we’re the national team.”
Team captain Dawn Macandili-Catindig was also all smiles despite the back-to-back losses, stressing that the matches are an important part of the preparations for future events such as the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
“It’s important that we do well ahead of other events, as we also look forward to the SEA Games,” said Catindig.
Solomon finished with seven points, Sisi Rondina added five, while Gandler and Sharma added four each for Alas Pilipinas Women.
THERE were no explosive hits or disorienting combination plays but Saga Hisamitsu Springs simply covered nearly all the gaps to foil the Alas Pilipinas Women, 25-19, 25-16, 25-16, Saturday in the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The entry of Sisi Rondina, Thea Gagate and Cherry Nunag in the third after being held out in the earlier sets got the crowd going and provided Alas Pilipinas Women a quick boost.
Rondina managed to get through the Japanese defense with her crisp shots, while Gagate and Nunag covered the net well to gave Eya Laure several chances hitting from the back row on the way to a rare lead at 8-7.
But that inspiring run was short-lived as Saga Hisamitsu Springs figured things out quickly, shut down the formidable four and finished off the hosts in just over an hour.
Miyu Nakagawa showed the way for nine-time Japan V.League champions, scoring 15 points, while Megumi Fukazawa scored 14.
Alas Pilipinas women team captain Dawn Macandili-Catindig admitted the team had quite a few lapses and needs to regroup quickly in the home-and-home set.
“Both ways, net and floor defense, we are a bit inconsistent so we need to do a better job,” said Macandili-Catindig.
Alyssa Solom and Vanie Gandler had five points each, while Laure added four for Alas Pilipinas.
“Now we have actually played them, we’ve learned quite a bit about them and we’re confident we can play better in the next match.”
Alas Pilipinas Women and Saga Hisamitsu Springs clash anew on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Coach Jorge Souza de Brito is also counting on a more solid performance in the rematch after a test run of sort.
“The plan today was to field all of them and maybe tomorrow we can give the visitors a tougher time,” De Brito said.
MEMBERS of the Alas Pilipinas men pose with Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann and Philippine National Volleyball Federation officials led by president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, secretary-general Donaldo Caringal, chairman Dr. Arnel Hajan, vice president Ricky Palou and directors Tonyboy Liao, Yul Benosa and Karl Jeffrey Chan II.
A HISTORIC bronze medal, two individual awards and the Alas Pilipinas men’s team is off to a strong start in a year-long preparation for the country’s solo hosting of the prestigious FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship next year.
Alas Pilipinas braved on with a crippled crew to clinch a first bronze medal in the Men’s Southeast Asia V. League first leg over the weekend with a squad of heroes rising to the occasion.
Sans injured Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo, Alas leaned on Kim Malabunga and Buds Buddin to take them to a podium finish and in return reap the fruits of their labor.
Malabunga was hailed as the Second Best Middle Blocker while the young Buddin, a National University varsity, earned the Second Best Outside Spiker honor.
But more than that, their gallant stand to history after a pair of fourth-place finishes gave Italian head coach Angiolino Frigoni a stepping stone in his debut tournament for the Philippines.
“It’s a bronze medal. It’s better to start with a bronze medal than start without a medal,” said the grizzled coach with stints in the Olympics in his pocket with the Italy women’s team. “But for me, we are just starting, we only played in this competition this year.”
Frigoni took over only last month and produced results right off the serve for the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) led by president Ramon “Tats” Suzara.
And it doesn’t end there.
If anything, winning the bronze in the Southeast Asian level is just the beginning for an overall goal of molding the Filipino spikers to ready warriors against world superpowers a year from now.
“I am not thinking of the bronze, I am thinking on how to improve this team. To play in the next competition better together and with a better goal,” he said. “We’re still not on that level. We have to improve not just our skills, but also our mentality. We need experience. We need time. We need more matches.”
Meanwhile, Kissada Nilsawai was named the Most Valuable Player of the first leg as Thailand wiped out the opposition with a perfect campaign without yielding a set yielded in three matches entering the second leg in Indonesia, the winner of the inaugural edition last year.
Hendra Kurniawan (First Best Middle Blocker) and Dio Zulfikri (Best Setter) of silver medalist Indonesia, Thailand’s Napadet Bhinijdee (First Best Outside Spiker) and Tanapat Charoensuk (Best Libero) as well as Vietnam’s Pham Van Hiep (Best Opposite Spiker) completed the mythical team.
THE Alas Pilipinas men take centerstage as the Philippines hosts the first leg of the 2024 Southeast Asia (SEA) V.League men’s tournament starting Friday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Out to sustain the Alas Pilipinas women’s back-to-back bronze medal finishes, the men’s confidence is in an all-time high as they open their campaign in the three-day leg opposite Vietnam at 6 p.m.
Reigning champion Indonesia and Thailand clash in the 3 p.m. curtain raiser.
But more than the mission of at least replicating the Filipina spikers’ breakthrough, Alas is determined to gift new head coach, Italian Angiolino Frigoni, a rousing debut.
Frigoni, 70, comes on board with vast experience highlighted by stints with the powerhouse Italy women’s team in the 1992 Barcelona and 2000 Sydney Olympics.
He was formally appointed by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF), led by president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, last month upon the recommendation of the International Volleyball Federation, or FIVB.
Joining his staff are Dante Alinsunurin, Matteo Antonucci, Odjie Mamon, trainer Dexter Clamor, physiotherapist Yuichi Akaba and team manager Jerome Guhit.
The SEA V. League is part of the country’s year-long build-up for the historic solo hosting of the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship in September next year.
The national team is aiming to fire it off in style with a strong showing against their regional rivals led by ace hitter Bryan Bagunas as another standout, Marck Espejo, sits out for now.
UAAP MVP Josh Ybañez, Vince Patrick Lorenzo, Jade Lex Disquitado, Kim Malabunga, Noel Kampton, Gabriel Casaña, Ave Joshua Retamar, Rwenzmel Taguibolos, Leo Ordiales, Jenngerard Diao, Lloyd Josafat, Louie Ramirez and Michaelo Buddin complete the squad.
After Vietnam, Alas takes on Indonesia at 6 p.m. on Saturday before wrapping up campaign against Thailand also at 6 p.m. Sunday.
With a world-class coach on board, Alas is hopeful to improve on the pair of fourth-place finishes in the inaugural edition last year held in Indonesia and the Philippines.
The second leg this year will be in Indonesia on a still-to-be-announced date and venue.
MANILA — The Alas Pilipinas women’s mettle gets to undergo another acid test in the FIVB Women’ Volleyball Challenger Cup that the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) is hosting from July 4 to 7 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
A historic bronze medalist in the AVC Challenge Cup for Women last month, the Alas Women, however, have to contend with the same team that denied them a shot at the gold in the continental tournament—Vietnam.
“It’s tough on Day 1 for Alas Pilipinas, but we’re very sure they’ll give the Vietnamese a tough fight,” PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara said.
The Alas Pilipinas-Vietnam duel is set at 6:30 p.m. on July 5 after the duel between the Czech Republic and Argentina at 3 p.m.
On July 4, Puerto Rico and Kenya open hostilities at 3 p.m. while Belgium and Sweden slug it out at 5 p.m. on July 4.
Winners advance to the semifinals until the finale also under a win-or-go-home format of the tournament where the top team qualifies for next year’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
The PNVF is hosting another major international competition with the hangover from the highly successful VNL Men’s Week 3 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena still lingering.
Alas Pilipinas is still savoring the third-place finish—the best by the country on the continental stage—in the AVC Challenge Cup where team captain Jia Morado-De Guzman and Angel Canino were named the Best Setter and Best Opposite Spiker, respectively.
Pro star Jema Galanza and collegiate aces Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon were added to the team of Brazilian coach Jorge Edson Souza de Brito which also has Fifi Sharma, Thea Gagate, Sisi Rondina, Eya Laure, Faith Nisperos, Vanie Gandler, Dawn Macandili-Catindig, Julia Coronel, Jen Nierva, Dell Palomata, Cherry Nunag and Arah Panique.
(el Amigo/mnm)
MANILA — Alas Pilipinas showcased their dominance once again, completing a flawless sweep of Pool A in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women.
They overpowered a youthful Chinese Taipei squad with a commanding 25-13, 25-21, 25-18 victory at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Sunday (26 May 2024).
With this impressive performance, the Philippines secured a spotless 4-0 record in pool play, setting the stage for a semifinal showdown against Pool B’s second seed, Kazakhstan, scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the iconic Manila venue.
“We’re here now, and we won’t stop making history for Philippine volleyball,” declared outside spiker Eya Laure, who led the charge with 15 points, including 12 attacks, two aces, and a block.
The upcoming semifinal clash against Kazakhstan holds special significance as it marks a rematch from their encounter in the 22nd Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship on August 30, 2023, where Kazakhstan emerged victorious in a hard-fought five-set battle.
Despite missing key players from their previous lineup, Alas Pilipinas encountered minimal resistance against Chinese Taipei, dominating from the onset with a convincing 25-13 opening set. Jia De Guzman’s remarkable serving run, highlighted by two consecutive aces, paved the way for Alas Pilipinas’ early lead.
Vanie Gandler, stepping up in her second consecutive start with Sisi Rondina on the bench, contributed 12 points primarily from powerful spikes. Faith Nisperos, assuming the role of Angel Canino for the entire match, delivered nine points, while Thea Gagate showcased her defensive prowess with nine points, including three crucial blocks.
On the other side, Chinese Taipei, anchored by the duo of Hsu Fang-Min and Hsu Heng-Yun, fought valiantly but ultimately fell short. The Taiwanese squad will now face Singapore in the battle for ninth place on Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
(el Amigo/MNM)