So near, yet so far

The clock may have struck 12 for Alas Pilipinas’ Cinderella run, but itts valiant stand against international giants will reverberate to the next generation of Filipino volleyball players.

A team far behind in the rankings dared to dream, fought like its life depended on it, and earned the much-deserved respect with the way Alas competed in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.

Alas, which got a token slot in the record-setting 32-nation field as a host, exceeded expectations and put the world on notice.

For a fleeting moment, Alas almost accomplished the improbability of advancing into the Round of 16 last Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Kim Malabunga stopped Iran’s Ali Haghparast attack, with the Philippines holding its sixth match point advantage of the super extended fifth set.

The celebration was cut short after Iran called for a clutch video challenge, which eventually showed a net infraction by Malabunga.

Euphoria turned into inconsolable heartbreak for Alas, the partisan crowd and all Filipinos monitoring the match as the world No. 15 Iranians rallied to steal a 21-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 22-20 win.

“We were in a dream. And they woke up just one point before the dream was finished. But that’s the life, that’s the life of the sport,” Alas head coach Angiolino Frigoni said.

“But I think that we play with skills, with power, with heart, with mind and I am happy for it,” the Italian mentor added.

“It’s just how they finish. I would’ve preferred losing a match by 15-10 or 15-8 or 15-7. This way is very, very painful.”

It ended the 77th-ranked Alas’ maiden world stage journey but left a significant impact on the development of Philippine men’s volleyball.

The work put up by Frigoni since taking the coaching reins over a year ago, how the players bought into his system and the preparations Alas had that saw the squad train in Asia, America and Europe still paid off.

“I am very proud. I am very proud because we improved a lot. We showed that we can play good volleyball,” Frigoni said.

Alas finished its Pool A campaign with a 1-2 win-loss record.

The Filipinos made history by beating African powerhouse and 22nd ranked Egypt, 29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21, last Tuesday to fan their hopes for a passage into the next round after absorbing an opening day setback to Tunisia.

Bryan Bagunas, Marck Espejo, Leo Ordiales and setter Owa Retamar became the faces of Philippine men’s volleyball in the eyes of the world.

Bagunas, coming off a yearlong layoff due to a knee injury, is third in the scoring department overall after the group stage, averaging 23.3 points per game.

“We’ve shown what the Philippine men’s volleyball can do. I think, this could be a start of something big for men’s volleyball. We hope we can sustain the momentum with the support of Filipino fans. We want to show the world the Philippines has great potential in men’s volleyball,” Bagunas said.

Espejo, who displayed his all-around efficiency with norms of 12.3 points, 7.6 receptions and 4.3 digs, echoed the thoughts of his reliable wing partner.

“It’s a surprise that we got these kinds of results against the top teams. But I think it’s the fruit of the hard work we put in. We prepared hard not to get crushed by our opponents in the World Championship,” Espejo said.

“As Coach said, we have nothing to lose and so much to gain. Everything that we’ve been through before the World Championship paid off. But this is just the start of the team’s journey.”

Ordiales was a revelation after the 22-year-old opposite hitter averaged 14.6 points per game while Retamar stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the sport’s finest after ending fourth in excellent sets with 111.

Averaging 37 excellent sets per frame, Retamar trailed Luciano De Cecco of Argentina (137 sets), Arshia Behnezhad of Iran (126), and Fernando Kreling of Brazil (115).

This feat marks the first time a Filipino setter has cracked the Top 5 in the World Championship, a breakthrough moment for Philippine men’s volleyball on the global stage.

“This is all for the players mocked and laughed at because they chose volleyball as a sport. We hope what we achieved here could be the start of equal respect and recognition in men’s volleyball,” Retamar shared.

Alas has sown the seeds of hope on the global stage.

The challenge now is for the team to sustain the momentum it built, starting with the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in December.

Buffed with the World Championship experience, Alas now eyes another historic feat — claiming the elusive gold medal in the biennial regional meet.