Bryan Bagunas beams at Alas potential after historic FIVB worlds win

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The sky is the limit for Alas Pilipinas, says captain Bryan Bagunas, following the Philippines’ historic conquest of world-ranked Egypt for its first-ever FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship win

MANILA, Philippines – Win or lose, Bryan Bagunas has been a leading staple of the Philippine men’s volleyball team for a better part of the last decade, experiencing the few precious highs and the many lows the team gets as it struggles to gain recognition outside the country.

To this day, the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games continues to be the program’s high-water mark following a historic silver in 2019, but that barrier may soon be broken following the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship — coincidentally also hosted by the Philippines.

In front of thousands of roaring and shocked fans at the Mall of Asia Arena, Alas Pilipinas became the little team that could, as it slayed then-world No. 21 Egypt in a four-set stunner, thanks to a game-high 25 points from Bagunas and 21 from the resurgent Leo Ordiales.

The leading face of a historic charge, Bagunas beamed with pride as he sang praises for everyone but himself after the fortune-changing victory.

“I’m so happy I got to be a part of this historic win. I’m so speechless that we won. I said before the game, just enjoy since we have nothing to lose. We just need to show what we trained for and what we learned,” he said in Filipino.

“For me, my mindset remained to just do what I can to help the team,” he continued regarding his second straight game-best output. “And I couldn’t do all of this without the help of my teammates and my coaches.”

Bagunas singled out, in particular, resurgent young star Leo Ordiales, who erased the memory of an error-ridden worlds debut against Tunisia with a crucial 21-point explosion against Egypt.

With the likes of Marck Espejo, Owa Retamar and Ordiales, among many others, still either in their primes or just entering it, Bagunas can’t wait to see what other highs Alas Pilipinas can reach once all is said and done in the country’s hosting of the World Championship.

“It’s time for us to see that we’re not just for the SEA Games nor the Asian Games, but the World Championship,” he continued. “We have so, so far to go since the Philippines is a big underdog, but with the support of Filipinos, we can get there.”

“Next against Iran, again, we have nothing to lose. We just need to keep enjoying every moment and play our game, one point at a time. As coach [Angiolino Frigoni] said, every point is a victory.” – Rappler.com