After barely sharing the court in their first two games, Buds Buddin finally lived his long-awaited dream of playing alongside his volleyball idol, Marck Espejo, during Alas Pilipinas Men’s five-set thriller against Thailand.
Buddin started in Alas Pilipinas’ opening-day win over Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi, while Espejo came off the bench with limited minutes. In their second match against the Hyundai Capital Skywalkers, it was Espejo who started, while Buddin sat out entirely.
Through two matches, the two heavy-hitting outside hitters had yet to play significant minutes together as head coach Angiolino Frigoni continued experimenting with different wing rotations to find the best formula moving forward.
But on Friday night, Buddin finally got his moment.
Inserted into the starting lineup for the decisive fifth set of their showdown with Thailand, the 23-year-old seized the opportunity — not just to compete, but to share the spotlight with the man who inspired his volleyball journey.
“Dream come true na kasama ko si Kuya Marck at nabeat pa namin yung Thailand kaya ayun, sobrang saya,” said Buddin after the Philippines’ rousing 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 21-25, 15-12 win over the Thais, which completed their sweep of the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals.
Motivated to make the most of the rare moment, Buddin delivered in the clutch. He scored four of his five total points in the final set, including back-to-back kills that pushed Alas to match point at 14-11.
In a fitting conclusion, it was Espejo who hammered the final blow — an emphatic backrow kill that sealed the hard-fought victory and capped off a milestone night for the young outside hitter.
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“Every time na nasa court ako kasama [at] ko si Kuya Marck, dapat memorable yun. ‘Yun ‘yung naging motivation ko kasi siyempre hindi ko masabi kung kailan kami huling magsasama sa court. Sila ‘yung naging inspirasyon ko sa court kaya tinatiyaga ko lahat,” Buddin added.
Their story together goes back further than Friday night. Buddin’s first national team call-up came as a direct result of Espejo’s absence.
Espejo was originally slated to compete in the 2024 Southeast Asia V.League but had to withdraw due to injury. Frigoni turned to Buddin as a late replacement, giving the young gun his first taste of international competition.
“Siyempre sa akin kasi, sobrang thankful ako kasi nung SEA V.League isa sa ni-look up ko si Kuya Bryan yung kasama ko sa court. Ngayon si Kuya Marck na kasama ko, sobrang happy ko lang,” Buddin recalled.
It was during the SEA V.League that Buddin began to carve out his place in the national team. Despite the absence of the country’s top guns in Espejo and Bryan Bagunas — who was sidelined by a knee injury — Buddin stepped up and helped Alas secure back-to-back bronze finishes.
Meanwhile, Espejo, who first crossed paths with Buddin two years ago, has long seen something special in the younger spiker. He once described Buddin as a mirror of his younger self and has proudly taken on the role of mentor and role model.
“Masaya ako na nakaka-inspire ako ng ibang tao. Isa dun si Buds na nakalaban ko sa NU [dati], binigyan ko ng jersey,” shared Espejo, now the star of Criss Cross.
“Happy ako na kahit paano naka-inspire pala ako [ng] ibang volleyball [players] and hopefully, sana sa mga young players diyan, consider din men’s volleyball na sport sa Philippines. Sana maabutan ko pa kayo.”
From being a fan who once received Espejo’s jersey after a match, to now finishing a game with him on the court in the national colors, Buddin’s story has come full circle — and it’s only just beginning.
#WATCH: Buds Buddin, Kim Malabunga, and Marck Espejo share their thoughts on finally breaking through and beating Thailand 🇵🇭🏐
📹 @ernesttuazon /Tiebreaker Times#Sambansa #AlasInvitationals pic.twitter.com/9GXQ09gNFE
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) June 12, 2025
