Alas Pilipinas faces tall order vs Tunisia in FIVB Worlds curtain-raiser

September 12 ------ Alas Pilipinas braces for its toughest challenge yet as it kicks off the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship with a thrilling opening match against Tunisia today at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The curtain-raiser is set at 7 p.m. after the 4:30 p.m. opening ceremony headlined by K-pop group BOYNEXTDOOR, officially ushering in two weeks of high-level volleyball action from 32 of the world’s best teams. Ranked No. 82 in the world, the Filipino spikers are determined to put all the stops, not only to make an impact in this prestigious tournament, but to also re-shape the status of the sport in the country.

Champion Italian coach Angiolino Frigoni has been steadily sharpening the skills and boosting the morale of the squad as they gear up for the grueling preliminaries in Pool A, which also features world No. 13 Iran and reigning African champion, world No. 23 Egypt. But first comes first, 11-time African champion and world No. 42 Tunisia. “I’m telling the Filipinos, please come. We need you. As supporters, we need you because we are going to fight together against Tunisia,” sa Frigoni. “Don’t let us fight alone,” he added.

The team spent weeks in training camps across the world, including a productive finale training camp in Europe to gather every energy, confidence and skills they could in facing a tall order against their powerhouse counterparts. Skipper Bryan Bagunas banners the squad that also has seasoned spiker Marck Espejo, along with wingers Leo Ordiales, Michaelo Buddin, Jade Disquitado and Louie Ramirez, as per the final roster announced by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation.

Middle blockers Kim Malabunga, Peng Taguibolos and Lloyd Josafat also provide reinforcements along with liberos Jos Ybañez, Jack Kalingking and Vince Lorenzo, as well as ace playmakers Owa Retamar and Eco Adajar. Bagunas and Espejo couldn’t hide his excitement to showcase what the team is capable of in this grand stage. “We have a great balance of veterans who bring experience and leadership, and younger players who bring energy and fresh perspectives,” said Bagunas. “It’s an honor to be part of this historic event. We’re excited to play and show the level and brand of Philippine volleyball on the world stage,” added Espejo.

Despite the absence of star spiker Wassim Ben Tara, Tunisia is still expected to be a tough team to handle with veteran aces Hamza Nagga and Elyes Karamosli leading the charge.

Meanwhile, Pool B is composed of world No. 1 Poland, Netherlands, Qatar and Romania; Pool C has reigning Olympic champion France, Argentina, Finland and Korea; Pool D is composed of the United States, Cuba, Portugal and Colombia; and Pool E has Slovenia, Germany, Bulgaria and Chile. Defending champion Italy leads Pool F that has Ukraine, Belgium and Algeria; Pool G is composed of crowd favorites Japan, Canada and Turkey; while Brazil, Serbia, Czechia and China complete the cast in Pool H. F

our matches each at the Mall of Asia Arena and the Smart Araneta Coliseum are slated until Sept. 18 for the preliminary phase with the top two teams from the eight groups advancing in the final phase beginning with the Round of 16 at the MOA Arena until the championship. Eyes are also on the entire country as hosts with PNVF led Ramon “Tats” Suzara, who is also president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation, executive VP of the FIVB, and world championship’s local organizing committee. “I hope our Alas Pilipinas really play well in front of Filipino fans but most importantly, I hope we could have a good finale here like the women’s world championship in Thailand as we serve as host for the first time ever,” said Suzara. “Let’s make this happen and show the world that the Filipinos are one of the best fans in the world. Mabuhay ang Philippine volleyball.”

Source: mb.com.ph