Alas Pilipinas Men head coach Angiolino Frigoni has opted to bring back the same 14-man roster that competed in the opening leg of the Southeast Asian Volleyball (SEA V) Cup, expressing confidence that the team’s steady progress outweighs the final standings.
The men’s national team now heads to Jakarta for Leg 2 of the tournament, scheduled from July 22 to 26, with another opportunity to measure its growth against the region’s best.
Their campaign begins with an immediate test—a rematch against first-leg champion Cambodia, the same squad that denied the Filipinos in a gripping five-set battle during the preliminary round in Candon.
For Frigoni, however, the encouraging signs came not from the results alone but from how his team competed throughout the tournament.
“I am more satisfied with the performance of the team in the matches that we lost than the one that we won,” Frigoni said.
That statement reflected the veteran Italian coach’s belief that the squad showed resilience despite falling just short against stronger opposition.
Aside from the five-set defeat to eventual champion Cambodia, Alas Pilipinas also pushed finalist Indonesia before absorbing a competitive straight-set loss. The Filipinos eventually salvaged fifth place by defeating Myanmar in the classification match.
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Those performances convinced Frigoni that the current group deserves another opportunity together rather than a major overhaul.
The returning roster will once again be anchored by Josh Ybanez, who earned Best Libero honors in Candon despite the team’s non-podium finish.
He is joined by fellow FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship campaigners Lloyd Josafat, Louie Ramirez, and Vince Lorenzo, along with Southeast Asian Games beach volleyball medalist Jude Garcia.
Also making the trip to Jakarta are Jian Salarzon, Axel Van Book, JJ Macam, Al Bukhari Sali, Rodge Alejos, Trevor Valerra, Lirick Mendoza, Josh Magalaman, Greg Ancheta, Adrian Villados, and Vennie Ceballos.
Although Frigoni kept his roster intact, he made it clear that no position within the national team is guaranteed. Players who were unavailable during the first leg still have a chance to return, but they must earn their place through competition.
“I am proud of everybody. They made improvements,” Frigoni said.
With confidence in his squad’s development, Frigoni hopes those lessons from Candon will translate into better finishes in Jakarta.
The road begins on Thursday, July 23, with a chance to avenge the heartbreaking five-set loss to Cambodia. Another stern challenge follows on Friday, July 24, when Alas Pilipinas takes on regional powerhouse Indonesia, looking to turn its promising performances into breakthrough victories.
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