History was made for Philippine volleyball when World No. 89 Alas Pilipinas Men dismantled the higher-ranked No. 21 Egypt, 29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21, to secure the country’s first-ever victory in the FIVB Men’s World Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena, September 16.
Beyond the historic win, the result also improved the Nationals’ standing in Pool A to a 1-1 tally, redeeming their straight-set defeat against Tunisia last Friday with a historic four-set upset over the taller Egyptians on Tuesday evening.
Bryan Bagunas continued to lead the way for the squad and posted 25 points built on 23 attacks and two blocks, while young star Leo Ordiales bounced back from his two-point outing in their last game and unleashed 21 markers this time around.
"For me, sobrang proud ako kasi hindi namin inaasahan na mananalo kami kasi underdogs kami. Ayun, siguro maganda naging performance ng lahat, ni Marck, ni Ordiales, at buong team," Bagunas said.
Meanwhile, Marck Espejo chipped in 13 markers, followed by Kim Malabunga and Lloyd Josafat who finished with seven and five points, respectively, to further cement the Philippines’ first-ever win in the tournament.
It was a tight battle for the lead in set one when Egypt found themselves with a 26-27 lead near the end, until Alas Men scored three straight points thanks to Bagunas, Malabunga, and Ordiales to steal the opener.
The world no. 21 Egypt, though, fought back in the second frame with Elhossiny Eissa and Deyo Omar conniving in attacking power to level the match and deny the hosts a commanding 2-0 set edge.
However, Ordiales woke up and never looked back in set three, scoring through constant hits from the right wing to overwhelm their Egyptian counterparts and move within one set of making history.
From that point on, Bagunas picked up where the young star left off, unloading spikes and extending their edge, leading to Espejo putting the nail on the coffin with a block on Zyad Mohamed to lift the Filipinos past the Egyptians.
“That game-winning block—it was pure instinct. It was a high ball, and we needed a triple block. I’m just really happy I got that last point,” Espejo explained.
For Egypt, Aly Seifeldin Hassan shone with 15 points, while Mohamed Hamada marked 14 in their loss.
With the win, Alas forced a four-way tie in Pool A and now face a must-win situation against Iran on Thursday in order to qualify to the Round of 16 of the tournament.
