CANDON CITY — Alas Pilipinas Men can make history of its own on Sunday in the 2025 SEA V.League by claiming the Philippines' first-ever men’s volleyball gold medal since the national federation’s inception in 1961.
The Filipinos have only gotten silver in international play - twice, to be exact, back in the 1977 and 2019 editions of the SEA Games held in Malaysia and the Philippines, respectively.
They have also won bronze seven times — five in the SEA Games (Indonesia 1979, Philippines 1981, Singapore 1983, Philippines 1991, Indonesia 1997) and two in both legs of the 2024 SEA V.League.
Fast forward to this year’s SEA V.League, and the final day of the regional meet will feature a double-header between Thailand and Cambodia followed by the Philippines and Indonesia.
As far as implications go, here’s where all five teams stand with one match day left.
- VIETNAM: 2-2 (7 pts); 1.143 set ratio (SR)
- THAILAND: 2-1 (6 pts); 1.750 SR
- INDONESIA: 2-1 (5 pts); 1.400 SR
- PHILIPPINES: 2-1 (5 pts); 1.200 SR
- CAMBODIA: 0-3 (1 pt); 0.222 SR
Only two scenarios can put an end to Alas’ six-decade gold-medal drought come Sunday’s first-leg finale at the Heritage Province.
Here’s how:
How Alas can win GOLD
There’s two ways the gold medal can be won by the Philippines.
If Cambodia can pull off a herculean upset over defending champion Thailand, regardless of how many sets it will take, any winning result for the Philippines over Indonesia will be enough for Alas to win the gold.
On paper, however, Thailand is the clear-cut favorite to beat tournament newcomer Cambodia which managed to beat Vietnam and push the Philippines to five sets.
If Thailand beats Cambodia in five sets, only a straight-sets win for the Philippines over Indonesia will hand Alas the gold.
In that case, the Philippines will secure a superior set ratio over Thailand (PHI 1.800 - 1.667 THA), breaking their tied win-loss records (3-1) and match points (8 pts) to finish the first leg on top.
How Alas can win SILVER
Similarly, there’s only two ways for Alas to salvage a silver medal.
A five-set Thailand win over Cambodia and a Philippines win over Indonesia in either four or five sets will steer Alas to second-place by the end of the first leg.
And in both cases, Thailand will emerge as champion anew.
Both scenarios will see Thailand and the Philippines share 3-1 records and eight match points.
The Thais, however have the superior set ratio with a five-set win and a four-set Alas win (THA 1.667 - 1.500 PHI) or a five-set Alas win (THA 1.667 - 1.286 PHI).
How Alas can win BRONZE
A third straight SEA V.League bronze for Alas can only be won in one specific scenario.
This comes into fruition if Cambodia sweeps Thailand and the Philippines earns a one match point consolation in a five-set loss to Indonesia.
Here, Thailand and the Philippines will share 2-2 cards, six match points and 1.000 SRs.
The bronze medalist will then be named in real time, as the team that will have the superior quotient when their total points scored in the tournament is divided by their total conceded points to the four teams they faced.
How Alas will MISS PODIUM (4th place)
The worst Alas can go is a fourth-place finish in the five-team field.
That will only be possible if Indonesia beats the Philippines regardless of how many sets it will take.
Here, Vietnam (2-2) will finish the first leg with seven match points while the Philippines will end with either five match points (five-set loss) or six match points (three or four-set loss).
Also, a four-set Cambodia win over Thailand coupled with a five-set Indonesia win over the Philippines will result to a top four placement for Alas.
Indonesia and the Philippines will share 2-2 records and six match points, with Indonesia securing a superior set ratio by a slim margin (INA 1.143 - 1.000 PHI).
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