The Alas Pilipinas men’s volleyball team bowed to powerhouse Thailand, 20-25, 19-25, 21-25, in the semifinals of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games at the Indoor Huamark Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Throughout the match, Alas Pilipinas struggled to find its rhythm and keep pace with a dominant Thai side.
“I am not happy, of course. We could do better. Today, we started every set in a difficult way. After that, we got closer and closer, but it was not enough,” said Alas Pilipinas head coach Angiolino Frigoni.
Leo Ordiales led the Filipinos with 25 points built on 23 attacks and two aces. Team captain Bryan Bagunas registered his lowest output of the tournament with 11 points, while Marck Espejo chipped in five.
Middle blocker Lloyd Josafat contributed eight points on four attacks and four blocks.
After the loss, Bagunas admitted the team fell short of its expectations.
“Feeling ko nabawasan naman ang errors, siguro wala lang ‘yung eagerness naming manalo for this game. Ayun, speechless ako kasi hindi ito ‘yung ine-expect naming result,” Bagunas said.
“Talagang before the game, pinag-usapan namin na kailangan ilaban namin. Pero ‘yun nga, siguro hindi talaga para sa amin ‘tong game na ‘to.”
Bagunas also acknowledged that pressure played a role, especially after the team hosted the FIVB Men’s World Championship in Manila earlier this year.
“Tingin ko na-overpressure ‘yung team. Pagpunta pa lang dito, nasa utak na namin na kailangan maka-medal talaga,” he admitted.
“Siguro andun ‘yung pressure kasi mataas ang expectations sa amin ng Filipino volleyball fans at ng lahat ng sumusuporta sa amin. Hindi namin masyadong inisip na one game at a time, eh alam naman natin na short tournament ang SEA Games at lahat ay naghahanda.”
Coach Frigoni echoed Bagunas’ sentiments, pointing out that the team’s strong showing in the World Championship raised expectations.
“Everybody, I don’t know, because we played well in the World Championship, they think that we can win all the matches now. We never won against Thailand this year—never—and never last year,” Frigoni said.
“What are they thinking? That we are magical? Because we played very well against Iran and Egypt, they think we can beat Thailand? How many times did we win against Thailand? Never. What is our ranking? Eighty. Eighty in the ranking. Of course, I am not happy. We could do better.”
Alas Pilipinas Eyes Bronze After Tough Semifinal Loss to Thailand
Despite the setback, Bagunas stressed the need to quickly regroup as Alas Pilipinas faces Vietnam in the bronze medal match on Friday, December 19, at 4 p.m. (Manila time).
“Sabi namin sa isa’t isa, hindi pa tapos ang laban. May chance pa rin kami maka-medal. Laban lang, walang susuko, at kailangan pa naming pagtrabahuhan at paghandaan ito nang maayos,” Bagunas said.
