Alas Pilipinas bags bronze medal

Alas Pilipinas rallied from a 1-2 match deficit and shocked Vietnam, 27-25, 14-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-12, to capture the bronze medal in the 2024 Men’s SEA V. League second leg Sunday night in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Young guns Buds Buddin, Louie Ramirez and Jade Disquitado took the spotlight in the tight fifth set to hand Alas its second straight third place finish in the four-nation tournament.

The Filipinos dropped their first two games before fighting through in the last match of the tilt for the morale-boosting podium finish.

Alas behind Buddin turned a 6-8 deficit to start the deciding frame to an 11-8 advantage. But the Nationals had some scary moments when the Vietnamese closed in 12-11.

Ramirez quickly stopped the bleeding before Disquitado followed with a crosscourt hit to push Alas at match point, 14-11. Lloyd Josafat, unfortunately, committed a service error but Disquitado cleaned it up with an off the block kill to end the two-hour, 29-minute match.

Buddin, who was named Best Outside Spiker, hammered 22 kills to finish with 24 points while Ramirez got 19 markers for Alas, who managed to earn a medal despite the absence of veteran hitter Bryan Bagunas after suffering a knee injury in the first leg held in Manila.

Disquitado scored four of his 16 points in the fifth set and Kim Malabunga got 11 markers for Alas, who snapped a four-game losing skid in the two-leg tilt.

It was a successful campaign for Alas under new Italian coach Angiolino Frigoni ahead of the country’s hosting of the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship.

Up next for Alas is a couple of international friendlies in Manila to highlight the one-year countdown of the World Championship next month.