Alas Pilipinas Males and Japan’s Osaka Bluteon.–PNVF PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–The lads’s volleyball group held their heads excessive regardless of a straight-set loss towards Japan S V.League membership Osaka Bluteon on day one of many Alas Pilipinas Invitationals on the PhilSports Enviornment.
Osaka Bluteon consists of gamers from the fan-favorite Japanese males’s volleyball group 2024 Paris Olympic roster akin to hard-hitting reverse Yuji Nishida, libero Tomohiro Yamamoto, center blocker Akihiro Yamauchi and outdoors hitter Shoma Tomita. The group additionally has the companies of Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Jaeschke and Cuban participant Miguel Lopez Castro.
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Within the minds of the Alas Pilipinas gamers, they have been enjoying towards not solely world-class volleyball gamers however their idols as properly.
READ: Alas Pilipinas Males fall to Yuji Nishida-led Osaka
“From the primary second that I noticed [Nishida] on court docket, I used to be starstruck seeing him. Though we have been on opposing sides, each time he was proven on the monitor display screen, I might nonetheless cheer for him,” the Rookie of the Yr and Most Worthwhile Participant of UAAP Season 85 Josh Ybañez jokingly mentioned to Inquirer following a 29-27, 25-23, 25-12 loss on Saturday.
Ybañez even owns a Nishida jersey that he’s seen sporting in a TikTok video with fellow Alas Pilipinas participant Vince Lorenzo.
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But, the College of Santo Tomas participant mentioned that he was not shocked with the nice efficiency of Alas Pilipinas with certainly one of Japan’s high membership groups.
“Really, I anticipated this type of consequence the place our group will actually battle,” Ybañez mentioned. “I’ve an enormous belief within the group, particularly with the coaches and my teammates who’re contained in the court docket.”
Ybañez mentioned that they only wanted to additional enhance on their lapses from the match.
For setter EJ Casaña, he noticed the sport as a problem to face the gamers that they’ve been watching play on the Olympic stage.
“We have been very excited after we came upon that we have been going to play towards them,” Casaña mentioned.
READ: Japan groups prepared to check Alas Pilipinas’ mettle
The Invitationals is the primary time that the nationwide group was capable of face choose gamers from Japan’s nationwide group. Different previous pleasant matches towards the Japan group have been canceled as a result of COVID-19 well being protocols in 2022 and “unexpected circumstances” in June 2024.
Casaña mentioned that this expertise will assist them of their preparations for the 2025 FIVB World Championship. Because the solo host, Alas Pilipinas robotically certified for the match the place they’ll face the highest volleyball groups from 32 international locations on the earth.
“That is additionally for the sake of Philippine volleyball in order that we are able to enhance as a result of everyone knows that we’re nonetheless removed from being prepared for subsequent 12 months’s World Championship,” Casaña added.
Libero Yamamoto acknowledged the efforts of Alas Pilipinas.
“They’re an excellent group,” the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Nations League Greatest Libero mentioned by way of a translator. “We had some powerful moments [in the match] as properly however we’re very grateful to have the ability to play with everybody proper right here.”
From fanboys to acknowledged opponents, Alas Pilipinas managed to carry their very own towards their favourite gamers which is a feat that they’ll certainly cherish.