After seeing limited minutes in their opening match, Marck Espejo came alive and led Alas Pilipinas to a dominant four-set victory over Hyundai Capital, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20, for their second consecutive win in the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals, Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Espejo, who came off the bench during their debut win against Indonesia’s Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi, was inserted into the starting lineup and immediately made a significant impact.
The team captain delivered 20 points built on 17 attacks, two aces, and a block against the reigning Korean V-League champions.
“Ang mindset ko lang naman po lagi is always ready lang. Siyempre, may mga bagay rin na nangyayari sa team na yung iba hindi nakakapaglaro,” said Espejo after the match.
“Syempre, inuuna rin yung condition ng katawan. Pero ayun, masaya ako na nakapag-contribute ako ngayon at nanalo sa game na ‘to,” added the national team veteran.
Alas nearly squandered a five-point cushion midway through the fourth set, as Son Chan Hong and Lee Seung Jun orchestrated a 4-0 run — including consecutive errors from Kennedy Batas and Espejo — to trim the deficit to just one, 15-14.
But Batas quickly made up for his earlier miscue, firing a sharp cross-court hit followed by a blistering ace in a 3-0 counter that restored order for the Philippines, 18-14. From there, the Skywalkers failed to recover as Alas pulled away for good.
Peng Taguibolos added nine points for the Philippines, while Steven Rotter, Batas, and Leo Ordiales chipped in seven apiece. Lloyd Josafat and Louie Ramirez each scored six in a well-balanced offensive performance.
The Filipinos, who outlasted Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi in four sets (25-23, 27-29, 25-21, 25-22) the day before, now sit at 2-0 in the tournament. The Invitationals serve as part of the country’s buildup for its hosting of the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship in September.
On the other hand, Hyundai Capital absorbed its second straight loss, having previously fallen to Thailand in four sets, 22-25, 26-24, 19-25, 21-25.
Lee Seung Jun led the Skywalkers with 18 points, while Lee Jae Hyun added 14 in the losing effort.
Meanwhile, Thailand inched closer to sweeping the three-day friendly series after a commanding straight-sets win over Jakarta, 25-20, 26-24, 25-19, also improving to 2-0.
Amorntep Konhan starred for the Thais with 16 points, while Kissada Nilsawai contributed 14, including eight attacks and six kill blocks.
For Jakarta, Arjuna Mahendra led the scoring with 16 points from 14 attacks and two aces. Agil Angga Anggara added 11 points in a valiant but ultimately unsuccessful stand.
