It was a win long in the making—and for Alas Pilipinas, it felt like a cleansing rain after a dry season of close calls and unfulfilled promise. In front of an ecstatic home crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena, the Philippine men’s national volleyball team stunned World No. 21 Egypt in four searing sets—29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21—in what may go down as the most memorable night in the country’s volleyball history.
Against Tunisia last Friday, the debut had been rocky. The nerves were visible, the chemistry still brittle. But even in the loss, there was something—a spark in the final set, a rhythm between Brian Bagunas and Mark Espejo, flashes of a system clicking.
On Tuesday night, those sparks became fireworks.
Bagunas was airborne more often than not, unleashing 25 points and shaking the rafters with every thunderous swing. He now ranks as the tournament’s second-best attacker, just five spikes behind Bulgaria’s Aleksander Nikolov.
More than stats, though, Bagunas brought belief. He was the soul of this squad—calm when Egypt crept up, lethal when they didn’t.
But it was Leo Ordiales who wrote the redemption arc. Quiet against Tunisia, Ordiales delivered the opening set’s coup de grâce with a booming serve that Egypt couldn’t return. In the third, he blasted a spike through two Egyptian defenders to give Alas control. And when the end came near, it was Ordiales again completing a trio of net defenders that ended Egypt’s comeback hope. He finished with 21 points—and more importantly, redemption.
Alas now climbs 11 spots in the FIVB rankings to World No. 77. It is not just a jump—it is a liftoff.
Egypt, for their part, looked drained—emotionally and tactically. After a narrow win in Set 2, they ran out of ideas. Their rotation couldn’t keep up with the speed of Alas. And when Bagunas hammered his 24th point in the fourth set, Egypt called time, desperate for air. It didn’t come.
Then came the final moment. Egypt tried to reset. But the ball floated to the net, and Espejo was there—not for a kill, but for a wall. A perfect read, a match-ending block. The arena erupted. Players jumped.
Head coach Angiolino Frigoni, the Italian tactician with Olympic experience, said little during a tense timeout late in the fourth. Just one line: “You decide what you want to do. But do it with confidence.” That was all his charges needed hear to believe they can and, just minutes later, they did.
With all four teams in Pool A now even, Thursday’s matches will be decisive. But one thing is already clear: the Philippines is not just hosting the FIVB Championship. They are shaking it.
