ERRORS proved costly for Alas Pilipinas as the men’s volleyball team pushed South Korea to the limit late in the match before succumbing in straight sets, 25-16, 27-25, 25-23, to open its 2026 Asian Games campaign on Sunday at the Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
Following a slow start in the opening frame, the 115th-ranked Nationals found their rhythm and nearly stole the second set against World No. 25 South Korea. Offensives led by Bryan Bagunas helped the Philippines secure set point twice at 25-24, but back-to-back attack errors handed the Koreans a 27-25 set victory and a 2-0 match lead.
The Philippines remained competitive in the third set, trailing by just one point at 21-20. However, an attack error from Buds Buddin alongside a Sanghyeon Lee service ace gave South Korea a late 23-20 advantage.
Alas mounted a late rally when Joshua Magalaman blocked Shin Hojin’s match-point attempt, followed by a service ace from Leo Ordiales to bring the Philippines within one at 23-22. The momentum quickly swung back to South Korea after a service error by Ordiales and a match-ending block on Marck Espejo’s back-row attack by Junhyeok Choi.
While Alas dominated the net with a 10-5 advantage in blocks, unforced errors heavily swung the match outcome. The Philippines conceded 13 service errors compared to South Korea's three.
Bagunas paced the Philippines with 15 points off 13 attacks, an ace, and a block. Magalaman and Ordiales contributed 13 and 11 points, respectively, while Espejo added seven and Peng Taguibolos chipped in five. Setter Owa Retamar orchestrated the offense effectively, recording 33 excellent sets alongside two points.
Sungjin Lim led South Korea with 12 points, supported by Donghyeok Im with 11 and Hanyong Jeong with eight. Youngseok Cha and Sanghyeon Lee added five points each.
