If there was one takeaway Angiolino Frigoni had from Alas Pilipinas’ campaign in the first leg of the 2026 SEA Men’s V Cup, it was that Joshua Magalaman and Josh Ybañez proved they belonged on the international stage.
Following the Philippines’ 25-21, 28-26, 25-22 victory over Myanmar to finish fifth on Saturday, the Italian coach singled out the two as the team’s most consistent performers throughout the tournament.
While Alas Pilipinas bowed out of medal contention after losses to Cambodia and Indonesia in Pool A, Magalaman and Ybañez were among the few bright spots for the youthful national squad.
Magalaman, Ybañez Make Their Mark
Magalaman, making his senior national team debut, scored in double figures in all three matches. He opened his campaign with a team-high 21 points against Cambodia, followed it up with 13 against Indonesia, and capped the tournament with 12 in the victory over Myanmar.
Ybañez, meanwhile, anchored the Philippine floor defense as the team’s lone libero, bringing his trademark energy and composure despite playing through an ankle injury he suffered on the eve of the tournament.
For Frigoni, consistency separated the two from the rest of the roster.
“I give you one name. Magalaman, for example. He was pretty stable in all three matches. The others went up and down, but he was stable,” Frigoni said.
“Also, Josh, that was stable in all the other matches. When we started, we had some problems.”
Everyone Contributed
The veteran mentor, however, emphasized that every player contributed to the team’s growth during the tournament.
Formed only on May 15, the current Alas Pilipinas squad entered the competition with limited time to build chemistry, with several players making their senior national team debuts.
“I am proud of everybody. They improved. Also, some of them didn’t play a lot. But you know, I use every set, all substitutions. So in this competition, everybody played.”
Although the Philippines settled for fifth place, the win over Myanmar provided a glimpse of the group’s potential heading into the second leg of the SEA V Cup in Jakarta.
Magalaman believes the breakthrough victory gave the young squad a confidence boost moving forward.
“Napakalaking confidence para sa team kasi alam namin yung kaya naming gawin. Alam namin yung dapat na naming gawin sa next tournament po.”
