Bronze brightens Alas Pilipinas men's future

MANILA, Philippines – Alas Pilipinas recently claimed a historic bronze medal in the Men's Southeast Asia V. League at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium that bodes well in its preparation for the country's hosting of the FIVB World Championship next year. 

And the Nationals did it minus injured main cogs Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo. 

They got the job done with Kim Malabunga and Buds Buddin taking charge in leading the country to a breakthrough podium finish in the meet.

For the effort, Malabunga was named Second Best Middle Blocker while Buddin, a product of National University, took the Second Best Outside Spiker plum. 

The feat eclipsed a pair of fourth-place finishes in the past. 

New national team coach Angiolino Frigoni did well on his debut.

“It’s a bronze medal. It's better to start with a bronze medal than start without a medal,” said the grizzled coach who had stints in the Olympics with the Italy women’s team.

“But for me, we are just starting, we only played in this competition this year,” he added. 

Frigoni took over only last month and produced results right off the serve for the Philippine National Volleyball Federation.

The effort could just be the beginning for an overall goal of molding the Filipino spikers as they brace against the world superpowers a year from now.

“I am not thinking of the bronze, I am thinking on how to improve this team. To play in the next competition better together and with a better goal,” he said. “We’re still not on that level. We have to improve not just our skills, but also our mentality. We need experience. We need time. We need more matches.”

Meanwhile, Kissada Nilsawai was named the Most Valuable Player of the first leg as Thailand wiped out the opposition with a perfect campaign without yielding a set yielded in three matches entering the second leg in Indonesia, the winner of the inaugural edition last year.

Hendra Kurniawan (First Best Middle Blocker) and Dio Zulfikri (Best Setter) of silver medalist Indonesia, Thailand’s Napadet Bhinijdee (First Best Outside Spiker) and Tanapat Charoensuk (Best Libero) as well as Vietnam’s Pham Van Hiep (Best Opposite Spiker) completed the mythical team.