Alas Pilipinas fell to South Korea in straight sets Sunday, 25-16, 27-25, 25-22, at Park Arena Komaki, in the opening match of its 20th Asian Games campaign. Team captain Bryan Bagunas said the squad still found lessons to build on despite the defeat.

Bagunas said the Philippines’ undoing wasn’t a lack of talent, but a string of costly mistakes, especially in the closing stretches of each set. He pointed out that South Korea consistently surged ahead once the matches hit their most crucial moments.

Errors, Not Effort, Doomed the Opener

“We really had a lot of errors. We need to manage our errors,” Bagunas said after the sweep, describing a pattern that repeated across all three frames against the South Koreans.

He explained that the breakdown wasn’t about intensity, but execution. The team, he said, kept faltering right as sets were about to close out.

“That’s where it is. Maybe it’s just the finishing, that’s where we make mistakes when the set is about to end. We need to manage our errors,” he added.

Bagunas also cited limited prep time as a factor, revealing that the squad had trained with reinforcement Joshua Retamar for only two days ahead of the Asian Games opener. He suggested that unfamiliarity showed up most in the team’s serving game.

Bagunas Frames the Loss as a Springboard for Young Talent

Despite the setback, Bagunas chose to focus on the bigger picture for his younger teammates. He said he’s been reminding them that the Asian Games offers valuable exposure, especially with overseas teams on the lookout for imports.

“We’ve been telling them this Asian Games is a big help for us, especially for the younger players, it’s exposure for them too,” Bagunas said. “If they get the chance to play overseas as imports, this is where they’ll get noticed.”

He added that his message to the squad has centered on treating the tournament as one continuous fight, regardless of the result against South Korea. “So that’s what I keep telling them, I just try to motivate them that this is our battle,” Bagunas said.

He added that he hopes for stronger support in the future. “Let’s just keep going,” he said.

Before wrapping up, Bagunas made a point of thanking the Filipino fans who flew to Japan to cheer on the team in person. Their presence at Park Arena Komaki did not go unnoticed, win or lose.

“We’re really grateful to all the fans who came here to Japan to support us. We really felt the support from the fans. You were there, whether we won or lost,” Bagunas said.