CANDON CITY — Frank as he’s always been, Alas Pilipinas Men head coach Angiolino Frigoni knows that a breakthrough gold medal in the 2025 SEA V.League is easier said than done.
Alas can only win the gold if it beats Indonesia and Cambodia takes down Thailand - or with a five-set Thailand win over Cambodia coupled with a straight-sets Philippines win against Indonesia.
READ: Alas Men's long shot at historic SEA V.League gold
Notice that in both instances, Alas must take down Indonesia - and Frigoni is quick to remind that the Indonesians are no joke.
“Listen, we are playing every time to win, but we don't just play against ourselves. Indonesia, we never beat in our life. We have to be with our feet on the floor, not flying,” he said.
Recent records will show that the Philippines won against Indonesia not too long ago in the classification stage of the 2024 AVC Men’s Challenge Cup, now known as the Nations Cup.
It was a four-set Alas win over the Indonesians in June last year, 25-23, 23-25, 25-14, 25-22.
Absent from this year’s SEA V.League team with an ankle injury, Marck Espejo top-scored for the nationals with 20 points on 17 attacks, two aces, and one block. Holdovers Jade Disquitado and Kim Malabunga then had 12 markers each.
However, Frigoni’s remark holds true to an extent since before that win, the Filipinos had lost their last five head-to-head matches vs. Indonesia between 2017 and 2023.
Golden opportunity for Alas
The Italian mentor might not be brimming with confidence or winning guarantees, but he knows one’s thing for sure: Alas has what it takes to win the gold.
“For sure, if we play like today [in the five-set win against Cambodia], we can try to win. But not every time, we play with the same level and that's because we are young,” Frigoni said.
“Sometimes we play good, sometimes bad. Sometimes we lose our mind. Sometimes we are not focusing on what we have to do. It's very expensive, this kind of match [on our] mental energy, not just physical energy.”
And it will be through playing their brand of ‘good volleyball’ that might just get the nationals over the finish line with a historic touch of gold.
“Sometimes or most of the time, we showed that we are playing good volleyball,” Frigoni added.
“We just have to improve and we have to reduce our mistakes, but for us, playing these kinds of [SEA V.League matches] is very important as experience.”
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