On the brink of going home empty-handed, Alas Pilipinas Men staged a thrilling comeback from a 0-2 deficit to overwhelm Vietnam, 23-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 16-14, and claim a hard-fought bronze at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games on Friday at Hua Mark Indoor Stadium.
Marck Espejo, who had struggled to find his lethal form in earlier matches, rediscovered his touch and anchored the Philippines’ stunning rally in the third and fourth sets, paving the way for the country’s first indoor men’s volleyball medal since 2019.
Espejo dropped 30 points — his best performance of the tournament — on 25 attacks, three kill blocks, and two service aces. He kept Alas alive through the middle sets and set the stage for the decisive fifth-set victory that secured the Philippines’ sixth bronze and eighth overall medal in the sport.
Riding the momentum from a dominant third and fourth set, the Nationals surged to a 9-4 lead in the fifth set. They then took a 14-11 advantage courtesy of a Bryan Bagunas block on Phạm Quốc Du.
However, the Vietnamese — who had been poised to clinch the bronze after dominating the first two sets — did not go down without a fight. Trần Duy Tuyến scored off a quick attack and then blocked Lloyd Josafat, followed by a Nguyễn Ngọc Thuân back-row kill that tied the score at 14.
With the game hanging in the balance, Bryan Bagunas rose over two blockers to deliver a powerful hit that grazed the opponents’ hands. That set up Josafat — who had been stepping up since joining the starting lineup in the previous two games — to unleash the bronze-clinching ace.
“Syempre, sabi namin, hindi naman ibibigay ng ganun kabilis lang itong bronze. Kaya sinabi namin, laban talaga kami kahit anong mangyari. Win or lose, proud kami sa isa’t isa,” said team captain Bagunas, who finished with 14 attacks and five blocks for 19 points.
“Nung una medyo nagkulang kami, but ‘yun sinabi namin sa isa’t isa na hindi pa tapos ‘yung laban. Talagang nilaban namin hanggang sa dulo, at ayun, sobrang saya namin na nakuha namin ‘yung bronze medal,” he added.
Leo Ordiales, coming off a 25-point performance in their semifinals loss to Thailand, carried over his fine form with 20 points on 17 attacks, two blocks, and one ace. Meanwhile, middle blockers Josafat and Peng Taguibolos added 11 and seven markers, respectively.
The victory snapped a streak of back-to-back fifth-place finishes for the Philippines, following their results in 2021 in Vietnam and 2023 in Cambodia.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, who gave Alas a pep talk after their loss to Thailand, expressed his delight at seeing the team bounce back.
“Alas: that bronze is gold because you played with your heart. That is the Alas I know—making millions of Filipinos smile with pride,” Gregorio said.
Vietnam, on the other hand, finished fourth in this edition after claiming bronze in 2023 at Thailand’s expense.
Phạm led the Vietnamese with 27 points, while Trương Thế Khải, Nguyễn Ngọc Thuân, and Trần Duy Tuyến added 15, 14, and 13 markers, respectively.
