After sweeping the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals, team captain Marck Espejo and setter Joshua Retamar will once again lead Alas Pilipinas as they compete in the 2025 AVC Men’s Volleyball Nations Cup.
Joining Espejo as open spikers are Louie Ramirez of the Cignal HD Spikers, Michaelo Buddin of the National University Bulldogs, and Jackson Reed of the University of Southern California Trojans.
Jericho Adajar of the De La Salle Green Spikers will be the team’s backup setter.
Manning the middle are blockers Kim Malabunga of the Criss Cross King Crunchers, John Paul Bugaoan of the Cignal HD Spikers, Rwenzmel Taguibolos of the Bulldogs, and Lloyd Josafat of the Cignal HD Spikers.
The opposite hitters are Steve Rotter of the Cignal HD Spikers and Leo Ordiales of the Bulldogs.
Lastly, sweeping the floor are liberos Joshua Ybañez of the University of Santo Tomas Golden Spikers and Jack Kalingking of the Philippine Navy Sea Lions.
Only 12 players from the roster will be lined up in the 2025 AVC Men’s Volleyball Nations Cup, while the other two players will be on the reserve list.
Here’s a closer look at the team’s composition.
Outside Hitters: Espejo, Ramirez, Buddin, Reed
A part of the historic team that clinched the silver medal in the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019, Marck Espejo would provide the leadership experience as the country competes internationally once again. A multiple-time MVP in several leagues, Espejo will be the team captain. He previously played for the Kubota Spears Osaka in the 2024-25 volleyball season.
Louie Ramirez was a three-time NCAA MVP while still playing for the University of Perpetual Help Atlas. After his collegiate career, Ramirez played for the Cignal HD Spikers, winning multiple championships with the team.
Fresh from his UAAP championship with the National University Bulldogs, Buddin is one of the youngsters of the squad. At 23 years old, Buddin has already won Best Outside Spikers awards in Weeks 1 and 2 of the 2024 SEA Men’s V.League, where the team won bronze in both weeks.
Breaking in the lineup is Filipino-American Jackson Reed, who was part of the pool last year among the selected half-Filipino aspirants. Reed was an alumnus of the University of Southern California, where he played for the school’s varsity team.
Middle Blockers: Malabunga, Bugaoan, Taguibolos, Josafat
Kim Malabunga was part of the team that won bronze medals in the 2024 SEA Men’s V.League Week 1 and 2. In fact, in the first week, he was awarded as one of the Best Middle Blockers.
JP Bugaoan is part of the Cignal HD Spikers, the team which won multiple championships and runner-up finishes in the Spikers’ Turf. Bugaoan won the best middle blocker award multiple times.
Rwenzmel Taguibolos is part of the National University Bulldogs, which has won multiple UAAP championships. Taguibolos may be one of the young ones, but also one of the tallest in the team at 6”6.
Lloyd Josafat is also part of the Cignal HD Spikers, where he plays as a middle blocker. As part of the team, he has already won four gold medals in several leagues.
Opposite Hitters: Rotter, Ordiales
Steve Rotter played for two seasons for the Long Beach City College volleyball team before taking his talents to California State University, Northridge, where he was able to play in the US NCAA Division I. Rotter was the Best Opposite Spiker in the first leg of the 2023 SEA Men’s V.League.
Leo Ordiales was instrumental in multiple championships of the National University Bulldogs in the UAAP. Ordiales was the Best Opposite Spiker in the 2023-24 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference.
Setters: Retamar, Adajar
At 23 years old, Joshua Retamar can already be considered a veteran in international tournaments. When he was just 17 years old, Retamar led the Philippines to a silver medal in the 30th SEA Games in 2019.
Playing backup to Retamar is Jerico Adajar, fresh from his stint with the De La Salle University Green Archers in the UAAP.
Liberos: Ybañez, Kalingking
A powerful spiker in the UAAP for the University of Santo Tomas Golden Spikers, Josh Ybañez, will be sweeping the floor as the main libero of Alas Pilipinas. He is a two-time MVP of the UAAP, winning in his first two years with the Golden Spikers.
Backing Ybañez up in the libero position is veteran Jack Kalingking, one of the vital players in the team’s historic silver medal in the 2019 SEA Games.
