Filipino spikers earn respect

It took the Philippine men's volleyball team almost five decades to make its return to the Asian Games.

Although it was a brief Asiad stint for the young and inexperienced squad after falling short of advancing in the knockout stage, the Filipinos showed promise with their gallant stand in Hangzhou, China against a couple of Asian powerhouse teams.

They even scored a convincing victory for the first time in 49 years earning respect from other participating nations.

Now, the ball is in the hands of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation to continue the development of the national team and not let the hard work and sacrifice of the players go to waste.

"We saw the improvement of the (Philippine) men's volleyball team and I'm surprised with how we fought here in the Asian Games," open spiker Bryan Bagunas said.

"After 49 years (of absence in the Asian Games), it's an amazing experience for us to be here. Hopefully, this kind of exposure and support for us will continue," Bagunas, who averaged 15 points per game, added.

The Nationals finished their first Asiad appearance since the 1974 Tehran edition with a 1-2 win-loss record in Pool F.

Behind Bagunas and Steve Rotter, the FIVB world No. 63 ranked Filipinos recovered from a straight sets debut game loss to Southeast Asian Games champion Indonesia with a masterful sweep of Afghanistan, 25-23, 25-16, 25-12, last Wednesday.

Despite being the underdogs against mighty Japan, represented by its equally talented Team B, the Nationals came out swinging and even gave the world No. 5 squad a scare in the third set.

However, Japan prevailed in the end, leaving the Filipinos packing two days before the Asiad formally opens on Saturday.

It may have been a short campaign for the Filipinos but it provided valuable experience and lessons for the Brazilian Sergio Veloso-mentored crew.

"I hope we'll improve from this. Although we're still far in terms of skills, I'm hoping that someday we'll be at par with higher ranked international teams," hitter Marck Espejo, who is set to fly to Korea to play in the Korean V-League for the Incheon Korean Air Jumbos, said.

The Nationals, who lost momentum after clinching a silver medal in the 2019 SEA Games due to the pandemic and inconsistent if not lack of training among other issues, could only hope that PNVF has a concrete plan for the men's volleyball program to reach the level of competitiveness to be considered as legitimate contenders in the international stage.

"I hope that our training will continue. That it won't suddenly stop and give us more opportunities to participate in more tournaments," Bagunas, who will return to Taiwan to play for WinStreak, said.

"We really need more exposure and gain more experience."