Bagunas proud to see Espejo prove he belongs in Japan V.League

BRYAN Bagunas said he is proud to see compatriot Marck Espejo prove his worth in Japan V.League and he can’t wait to reunite with him in the Philippine men’s volleyball team next year.

In their first duel since the 2019 Spikers’ Turf Finals, Espejo got the better of Bagunas as FC Tokyo swept Oita Miyoshi in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday at the at Showa Denko Sports Center.

The National University standout struggled in limited minutes, but was happy to see Espejo back in Japan after a three-year absence, doing well with his new team.

“Siyempre sobrang saya makita si Marck na naglalaro ulit dito sa Japan. Naipakita na naman niya yung galing ng mga Filipino rin talaga,” said Bagunas, who was held to a total of three points in back-to-back matches.

Filipino imports catch up

“Nakapag-kamustahan kami. Balita ko naman sa kanya maayos naman siya doon and sobrang okay naman yung mga kasama nya sobrang mababait naman daw,” he added.

Espejo, who scored 11 in both games against his former team, posted a photo with Bagunas, vowing that both of them will keep striving in the top tier of the V.League to fly the flag for the Philippines.

“Maraming salamat sa lahat ng suporta niyo. Pag bubutihan pa namin dito,” wrote the five-time UAAP MVP.

Bagunas believes his match-up with Espejo will be the first of many Filipino vs Filipino match-ups not just in Japan but in other countries as well.

“Feeling ko start na talaga na dumami yung mga players pa na mag-iimport sa ibang bansa hindi lang dito sa Japan,” he said.

The Weisse Adler import said both he and Espejo are excited to reunite with the Philippine men’s volleyball team in its gold medal quest in the 31st Southeast Asian Games set from May 12 to 23 next year in Vietnam.

“Nakaka-excite. Goosebumps talaga sila (nung Asian Men’s Club Championship). Kahit underdog sila doon talagang nakita ko yung puso nila, lumalaban talaga kahit mga Olympic players pa kalaban nila doon,” Bagunas said.

“Talagang lumaban sila kahit short period lang 'yung naging preparation nila. Nakakagulat, andaming bago pero talagang nag-perform ng maayos.”

For now, Bagunas' focus is on how to revive the title bid of Oita Miyoshi, which has lost seven straight matches after an opening win.

He said his team needs to regain its confidence and improve its on-court communication.

“Siguro yung puso na lalaban talaga sa una, kasi talagang sobrang ganda ng start namin tapos pag darating ng 16 points parang bigla na lang bumabagsak,” Bagunas said. “Kailangan pa namin magkaroon ng jelling. Parang kulang pa, dapat talaga solid na kami."

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