Alas Pilipinas lays ‘Worlds’ foundation with bronze finish

Antonio Frigoni (with glasses) is pointing his squad toward the World Championships. —CONTRIBUTED/SAVA

Josh Ybañez thrived as a libero for Alas Pilipinas during the SEA V.League first leg.

“I’m happy with my new role here at Alas and I’m learning a lot from my coaches,” Ybañez, a two-time MVP in the UAAP for University of Santo Tomas (UST) who has received accolades for his scoring prowess.

But it is precisely his transition back to his roots as a defensive player—and the program’s demand for the UST ace to undergo that change—that illustrates how much more the men’s national team needs to improve as it seeks its place among the region’s best. “There’s still so much to improve on and, of course, we will achieve that if we stay together longer,” Ybañez said.

National coach Angiolino Frigoni certainly hopes that the team continues growing as it flies to Indonesia for the second leg slated this weekend.

The Philippines’ bronze medal finish in the first leg was something impressive to build on—“It is a better start … than [to] start without a medal,” Frigoni said—but for now, it stands as just that: Something to build on.

“[W]e are just starting; we only played in this competition this year,” Frigoni added after the Filipinos lost to unbeaten champion Thailand, 26-28, 14-25, 16-25, on Sunday evening at Ninoy Aquino Stadium. “… I am not thinking of the bronze, I am thinking of how to improve this team. To play in the next competition better together, and a better goal.”

Right now, the Italian coach wants his players to begin by steeling their mentality so the team’s intensity doesn’t waver as the game progresses.

“It is very difficult for these players to stay for three sets with the same intensity in the first set. They need experience,” the former world champion tactician said. All this building is aimed at one goal: To have Alas Pilipinas battle-ready when it faces the best squads in the globe in next year’s World Championships that the country will host.

“I don’t know if we will have enough time before the world championships, at least I want them to improve. We need more matches like this, matches like this to start and [build] this kind of endurance. Mental endurance is like physical endurance … We don’t have this endurance right now,” Frigoni said. —LANCE AGCAOILI INQ