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Philippine men’s volleyball team veterans Marck Espejo and returning libero Jack Kalingking lead an undefeated run so far in the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals test event – the latest victim being another Asian league champion in Korea’s Hyundai
MANILA, Philippines – Test event or no test event, Alas Pilipinas is taking its home court defense seriously ahead of the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championships.
Two days into the three-day Alas Pilipinas Invitationals, the Philippine men’s volleyball team took down another Asian powerhouse, dragging the Korean V-League champions Hyundai Capital Skywalkers to a four-set finish, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20, at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, June 11.
Alas captain Marck Espejo pulled out the big guns in his entry to the starting lineup, tallying a game-high 20 points on 17 attacks, 2 aces, and 1 block as his team remained undefeated in the no-bearing, yet crucial showcase to flesh out the hosting kinks before the massive 32-nation world tilt in September.
Fellow 2019 Southeast Asian Games silver medalists, the returning libero Jack Kalingking and young setter Owa Retamar, also showed off, with the former tallying 9 excellent receptions while the latter recording a game-high 3 blocks for a 4-point total.
Up just 15-14 in the fourth set against a rallying Hyundai squad, Alas leaned on a pair of UAAP MVPs from Ateneo – reigning winner Ken Batas and five-time awardee Espejo — towards a 5-1 breakaway for a 20-15 lead, also helped up by two attack errors from the Korean side within the run.
Not fully able to prevent errors stifling their comback attempt, the Skywalkers only got as near as 22-19 before Peng Taguibolos hammered an off-the-block kill, 23-19, followed by an Espejo backrow bomb for match point, 24-19.
Soon Won Geun saved one match point, 24-20, but it was too late for another Korean rally as Lee Jae Hyun gifted the win off a service going wide.
The stiff challenges don’t stop for the world championships host as Alas wraps up the test event on Philippine Independence Day Thursday, June 12, with a hopeful repeat conquest of the mighty Thailand national team, still at 7:30 pm at the same venue. – Rappler.com
