By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alas Pilipinas made history on Tuesday, Sept. 16, as it stunned African champion Egypt, 29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21, to claim its first-ever victory at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Bouncing back from a tough 25-13, 25-17, 25-23 defeat to Tunisia on opening day last Friday, Sept. 12, the Filipinos returned with renewed vigor and showed they truly belong on the world stage.
“Feeling ko eto na yung pinaka-best game namin sa buong buhay namin,” said hard-hitting spiker Marck Espejo, who pumped in 13 points.
The victory evened the Nationals’ record to 1-1, earning them three points — the same as Egypt in Pool A — and kept their hopes of advancing to the Round of 16 alive.
Up next for the Nationals is a pivotal match against a formidable Iran team on Thursday, Sept. 18.
Earlier, Iran defeated Tunisia, 23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-16, to also notch a 1-1 record and three points.
Despite the morale-boosting win, the Filipinos currently hold the lowest set ratio in Pool A at 0.750, trailing Tunisia (1.333), Iran (1.000), and Egypt (1.000). Only the top two teams from each pool will advance to the next round.
Still, the Nationals are celebrating the breakthrough moment.
“What I expected (from them) is to play this kind of volleyball,” said Alas Pilipinas coach Angiolino Frigoni.
“This team was with me for 15 to 16 months and I saw how they improved. I was waiting for one win, to show to everybody how much we improved in these 16 months. And I’m happy they did it today,” he added.
Bryan Bagunas led the charge with a dominant performance, firing 23 kills and adding two blocks for 25 points. Leo Ordiales also impressed with a vastly improved showing, contributing 21 points.
The Filipinos drew first blood by escaping a tight opening set. Down 26-27, they scored three straight points courtesy of Bagunas, Kim Malabunga, and Ordiales to steal the frame.
Egypt fought back in the second set, but the Nationals regrouped and displayed poise in the third, breaking a 20-all deadlock by winning five of the next six points for a 2-1 set lead.
With momentum on their side, the Filipinos dictated the tempo in the fourth. Espejo sealed the historic win with a powerful block against Abdelrahman Elhossiny, sparking celebrations inside the packed arena.
Egyptian coach Marco Bonitta was gracious in defeat.
“They played one amazing match especially on serve. They had a clear transition especially on attack after defense and they deserved to win,” said Bonitta.
“Today just wasn’t our best level of volleyball,” he added.
Seif Abed and Mohamed Hamada finished with 15 and 14 points in a losing effort for Egypt.
