Fired-up Alas Pilipinas Men off to Bahrain for AVC Nations Cup
The Filipinos are hoping to build on their three-game sweep in the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals the country hosted last week, where the Philippines reigned over guest teams from Indonesia, South Korea, and Thailand.
Former collegiate MVPs Louie Ramirez and Marck Espejo took turns leading the squad to a 3-0 romp.
Ramirez, a two-time NCAA MVP out of Perpetual, starred in their 25-23, 27-29, 25-21, 25-22 win against Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi before former Ateneo star Espejo handled it from there, leading the charge against Korean V. League champion Hyundai Capital Skywalkers and Thailand national team.
They now shift into higher gear in the Nations Cup, where they will slug it out against two higher-ranked squads in the preliminary round.
Alas will open its campaign against a formidable foe in Pakistan at 7 p.m. on Tuesday with the latter hoping to improve from its runner-up finish last year. Pakistan previously fell to world no. 24 Qatar in the 2024 edition, absorbing a 25-22, 25-20, 25-19 sweep loss in the finals.
Alas will then take on world no. 45 Chinese Taipei on June 18 at 7 p.m. to close out the eliminations.
The top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals while the rest will be relegated to the classification phase. The tournament winner will gain the lone ticket to the 2026 Asian Championship.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
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