Bryan Bagunas, Alas Pilipinas Men square off vs. African champions Egypt in crucial match

The road only gets tougher for Alas Pilipinas Men as they square off against African powerhouse Egypt on Tuesday, continuing their campaign in the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Filipinos (0-1) will lock horns against the reigning Men's African Nations Volleyball champions Egypt (1-0) at 5:30 p.m. with the hosts looking to break through and keep their campaign alive while the latter seek their second victory. 

Egypt, ranked no. 22 in the world, enters the match with momentum and confidence after toppling Asian powerhouse and world no. 13 Iran on Sunday in a game which saw the Egyptians take a 25-17, 16-25, 25-23, 25-20 win. 

Ahmed Shafik and Elhossiny Eissa powered Egypt in that masterclass, firing 18 and 17 points, respectively, to stun the second-best Asian team in the tournament.

But while the challenge is tougher this time, Alas Pilipinas are determined to bounce back from their opening-day setback against Tunisia, where they fell in straight sets, 13-25, 17-25, 23-25. 

READ MORE | Alas Pilipinas Men fall to Tunisia in FIVB Men’s World Championship opener

"For me, ‘yun nga, ‘di good start pero for the third set, nakita ko naman ‘yung potential ng men’s volleyball. Sobrang natuwa ako na maganda ‘yung performance nung third set," team captain Bryan Bagunas said. 

"Pero hindi naging maganda outcome, but siyempre, for sure kami babawi kami sa next game."

[For me, it wasn't a good start but for the third set, I saw the potential. I was so happy to see the performance in the third set... The outcome wasn't great but for sure, we will try to bounce back next game.]

Bagunas was among the bright spots in that sweep loss to Tunisia, dropping 23 points anchored on 20 attacks, two aces, and one block, while Marck Espejo chipped in nine markers, six receptions, and four digs. 

The Filipinos showed flashes of resilience late in the third frame, with the returning Bagunas sparking a rally before they faded in the endgame. 

They now hope to draw from that fight as they chase a breakthrough win in front of the home crowd.

Alas head coach Angiolino Frigoni admitted that emotions played a huge factor for his squad in their first outing, but expressed optimism that the players can channel that energy into execution when they take on Egypt.

"We played three sets. The first two, I think especially the first one was really tense. I mean, too much emotion for the team, especially for the young [ones]. Slowly by slowly, we started to play our volleyball with defense, with some good attacks," the Italian tactician said.

"What I would like for this team is they fight for every [pride/point]. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. This is what I want from this team."

For Egypt’s part, they are bracing for a tougher outing against the hosts, with head coach Marco Bonitta believing that the true level of Philippine volleyball was on display during the gutsy third-set comeback against Tunisia.

"After tomorrow will be a very, very difficult match because Philippines was a little bit nervous [in the] first and second set but they played very good from the third set," Bonitta said.

"I’m sure that the level of the Philippine team is what they showed us in the third set so it will be a very tough match after tomorrow."

—JMB, GMA Integrated News