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Alas Pilipinas warms up one of two sites of the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championshps, the Araneta Coliseum, with a gripping 4-set conquest of 2-time defending Indonesian Proliga champion Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi in the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals test event
MANILA, Philippines – Alas Pilipinas broke ground on one of two sites of the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championships, the Araneta Coliseum, with a momentum-boosting four-set win over Indonesian champion squad Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi, 25-23, 27-29, 25-21, 25-22, on Tuesday, June 10.
Though only playing in a test event ahead of the massive 32-nation worlds event this September, two-time NCAA MVP Louie Ramirez still made his presence known on an international stage, dropping a game-high 25 points on 21 attacks, a game-high 3 blocks, and 1 ace in the close-shave victory.
Two other Alas stars got 3 blocks en route to a big 15-rejection teamwide tally, namely former UAAP champion teammates Buds Buddin and setter Owa Retamar, who added 11 and 5 points total, respectively, against the two-time defending Indonesian Proliga champions.
Fil-Am standout Steven Rotter backstopped Ramirez with 14 points, while newly-minted UAAP MVP Kennedy Batas made his unofficial national team debut in style with 3 important points in a late fourth-set sub-in. Josh Ybañez, also a former two-time UAAP MVP, gave tangible impact as a converted libero.
Knotted 19-all after a Rotter attack error, Jakarta looked primed for a fifth set-forcing breakaway, before Ramirez and Lloyd Josafat got a kill and a block, respectively, to hike the margin back up two, 21-19.
Jakarta only managed to inch within a point, 22-21, before Batas stole the spotlight with a strong off-the-block hammer and highlight-worthy solo block in succession to give Alas match point, 24-21.
Agil Angga Anggara saved one match point with an off-the-block score, but lost the hero cape as soon as he wore it after gifting the win to the host nation off a net-snagging serve to end the match.
Angga and Arjuna Mahendra led the no-bearing loss with 20 and 15 points, respectively.
Alas plays twice more in as many days, next against the Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalker of South Korea on Wednesday, June 11, and the Thailand national team on Philippine Independence Day Thursday, June 12, both in the same venue and both with a 7:30 pm first serve. – Rappler.com
