IT’S two-for-two for Philippine volleyball on Independence Day.
On the same day the Alas Pilipinas Women reached the AVC Nations Cup semifinals in Hanoi, the national men's team beat Thailand, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 21-25, 15-12, to complete a hat-trick of wins in the Alas Invitationals on Thursday night.
Just like the country’s storied 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games run, the Philippines defended home court and took the Thais down again in yet another five-set classic — albeit in a test event at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
READ Alas Women to play Chinese-Taipei in Nations Cup semis
At the forefront of a promising Alas win was Marck Espejo, one of five holdovers from the 2019 SEAG squad along with Owa Retamar, Kim Malabunga, Jau Umandal and Jack Kalingking.
The national team captain had another 20-plus point performance in back-to-back games as a starter, this time with a game-high 31 markers on 24 attacks, six aces and one block including the match-clinching hit from the backrow.
His counterpart captain in Thai national team veteran Amornthep Khonkan, also part of that 2019 SEAG classic duel, had 24 points.
But in the decisive fifth-set tiebreak, it was the National U champion duo of Buds Buddin and Leo Ordiales off the bench who put in the finishing touches to keep the victory in the hosts’ hands.
The three-day test event for the country’s hosting of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in September saw the nationals make significant strides ahead of their debut in the 32-team global conclave.
In a span of three days, Alas Men claimed two huge scalps in Indonesia’s Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi and Korea’s Hyundai Capital Skywalkers — both champions in their respective domestic leagues.
Next up for Alas Men is a return to competitive play in the 2025 AVC Men’s Volleyball Nations Cup on June 17 to 24 in Manama, Bahrain.
It will be their second major tournament of 2025 after the Champions League where they finished ninth as Cignal-Alas.
The nationals were drawn in Pool C along with Pakistan and Chinese Taipei, while Thailand takes on Indonesia and host nation Bahrain.
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