NAGOYA, Japan—Alas Pilipinas Men finished 13th in the 16-nation field at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with only two wins. The squad will return home with heads held high and plenty of work to do.

Led by Bryan Bagunas, Alas earned its first victory by beating Uzbekistan, 25-19, 25-15, 23-25, 25-17. It then won by default against Kyrgyzstan on Oct. 3.

Alas Pilipinas Men Show Flashes Despite Limited Practice Time

The outcome was not what the team had hoped for. Still, the Alas squad showed flashes of brilliance despite having limited time to practice together.

Those flashes came especially against the mighty China side in the preliminary round. Alas also put up a valiant stand against Chinese Taipei and Indonesia but ultimately fell short.

Alas team manager Ronwald Dimaculangan pointed to limited preparation as the culprit for the near misses. He also handles the University of the East team in the UAAP.

“Preparation talaga like training camp and need for better result but happy naman to get a win at the Asian Games,” Dimaculangan said. He cited training camp as a need.

Alas Pilipinas Team Manager Calls for Strong Volleyball Program

Like the traditional powerhouses in the Asian region, Dimaculangan said, the country needs a strong program. “We need to identify talent and the right coaches who have experience playing and coaching at the international level.”

“And the goal is to represent the country para yung level ng goal nila hindi pang local lang,” added Dimaculangan. He stressed, however, that it must be a collaborative effort with proper support from all stakeholders.