Bagunas puts spotlight on Alas Pilipinas program

Bryan Bagunas

Playing in his first game since a knee injury last year, Bryan Bagunas put Filipino talent in the spotlight at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.

Dominated by Tunisia in their opening match, the hosts made sure they did not go down unnoticed.

Especially Bagunas.

The powerful hitter caught the attention of the volleyball world after leading all scorers with 23 points off 20 kills, two aces and a block, leading a strong surge in the third set that had fans from other countries impressed despite yielding a 25-13, 25-17, 25-23 defeat to the African champions at Mall of Asia Arena.

Bagunas shone in the third set, where he helped the Philippines tie the game five times before dropping their first Pool A game. A foreign reporter even asked him questions during his interview at the mixed zone.

But the 27-year-old outside hitter believes it’s not just about his caliber, it’s about the whole Philippine men’s volleyball program.

“I don’t see it as my popularity in volleyball. Our team’s level is [rising]. I think there’s a lot of potential for the team,” said Bagunas, who has been part of the men’s volleyball rise from the 2019 Southeast Asian Games silver medal run to representing the country in the Asian Games two years ago.

The Filipinos stumbled at the onset, falling behind, 1-12, before Bagunas scored the team’s first kill. He had back-to-back aces in the third set when Alas Pilipinas led, 6-4.

“It wasn’t a great start, but in the third set, I saw the potential of our men’s volleyball team. I was really happy with how we played in that set, even though the outcome wasn’t in our favor. But of course, we’re confident we’ll bounce back in the next game,” Bagunas said.

“We all know that the teams playing in the World Championship are the best of the best, so we expected every country to be strong. We just have to perform well and apply everything we’ve learned from training.”

Marck Espejo backstopped Bagunas with nine points. Peng Taguibolos had four points, while Kim Malabunga, setter Owa Retamar and Leo Ordiales had two points each. Retamar made 26 excellent sets, as libero Josh Ybañez also showcased a steady floor defense against world-class players with eight excellent receptions and six digs.

Support and patience

Despite the good showing in the third, Alas Pilipinas coach Angiolino Frigoni urged Alas to avoid lethargic starts in their remaining games. The Philippines battles Egypt on Tuesday before wrapping up the pool stage against Iran on Thursday.

“With the last set, I am happy. With the first two, I am disappointed but that was not really their game. I just didn’t feel good emotions from them [in the first set],” said Frigoni.

The Italian coach continues to ask for the home crowd’s support and patience as this once-in-a-lifetime world stint of the Philippines will be a game changer for the sport.

“I think that this is a very good opportunity for everybody, not just to support the Philippine national team but to see the high level of volleyball,” he said.

Bagunas agreed: “I think this is the start of the growth of volleyball here in the Philippines. This kind of tournament is really a great opportunity for us.”