Bryan Bagunas brought out the brooms as the Philippine Men’s National Volleyball team handed Vietnam a 25-20, 25-21, 25-12 sweep, securing their slot in the semifinals of the 30th Southeast Asian Games volleyball tournament, Wednesday at the PhilSports Arena.
Bagunas fired 21 points built on 17 attacks, three aces, and a block to steer the Philippines to a 2-0 start in Pool B.
“Sobrang saya kasi alam ko [na] ito ‘yung muling nakapasok yung Pilipinas sa Final Four, kasi [last na medal] pa natin is 1991. Sobrang tuwa na na-achieve namin ngayon na makapasok sa Final Four,” said Philippines head coach Dante Alinsunurin moments after the victory.
“‘Yun talaga goal namin. Nagsama-sama talaga na kailangan naming talunin kung ano ‘man ‘yung makaharap namin… At siyempre ‘yung ginawa naming practice mula March hanggang sa tryout pa lang. Nag-uusap kami na kailangan tayo naman ang mapanood ng mga tao na nananalo.”
Riding the crest of their masterful debut, the Philippines surged to a two-sets-to-none advantage thanks to the hard-hitting Bagunas.
Behind the quartet of Bagunas, Francis Saura, Kim Malabunga, and John Vic De Guzman, the Philippine contingent unleashed its tremendous net defense on the Vietnamese. They then took an early 8-2 advantage in the third set.
The Filipinos kept their foot on the pedal, though, with Bagunas and Retamar joining hands in a 3-0 spurt to stretch the lead to nine points.
Vietnam skipper Thanh Thuan Tu was able to stop the bleeding with an off-the-block hit against Bagunas. Unfortunately, though, the former committed a service error in the ensuing play, which once again tipped the scales to the Filipinos.
The Philippines went on to lead by as much as 12 points. Fresh from the bench, Ran Abdilla converted two hits, before Tuan sealed the deal for the Filipinos with an attack error.
Espejo finished with a 50 percent success rate in the attacking department, chiming in 13 points laced with 13 excellent reception and seven digs.
The troika of De Guzman, Saura, and Malabunga finished the game with seven points each for the Nationals.
Retamar displayed once again his all-around game, handing out 17 excellent sets while also leading the team in blocks with three. The 19-year-old also had four points.
On the other hand, Tu was the lone double-digit scorer for the Vietnam side with 15 points. Quang Khanh Le added seven markers and seven receptions.
The Philippines will next face Indonesia on December 6, Friday at the same venue. A win will clinch the top seed in their group.
