Alas Pilipinas Men at the 2026 SEA V Cup Leg 1. Photo from SAVA
CANDON, Ilocos Sur — Alas Pilipinas Men are heading to the second leg of 2026 SEA V Cup armed with a win.
The Nationals fended off Myanmar, 25-21, 28-26, 25-22, to seize the fifth place in the first stop of the regional tilt, Saturday at the Candon City Arena here.
The Filipino spikers had a slow start in the opener, falling behind 11-17, but turned on the switch midway through — uncorking a massive 14-4 run that snatched the set, 25-21.
READ: SEA V Cup: Indonesia ousts Alas Pilipinas from semis contention
After Myanmar reached set point first, 24-23, in the succeeding frame, Axel Van Book was there with the off-the-block hit to tie the scores at 24-apiece, keeping the Philippines in the hunt.
READ: SEA V Cup: Alas Pilipinas Men lose to Cambodia in 5, in must-win scenario vs. Indonesia
After trading points late in the extended frame, Lloyd Josafat found the block that sent Philippines to set point once more, 27-26 as Myanmar’s Kyaw Aung Myo attack attempt went wide.
With all of the momentum on the home squad, the Philippines pulled away in the third set, ending the volleyball encounter in 78 minutes.
"I am proud of the improvement of the players during the competition," said head coach Angiolino Frigoni, reiterating that he liked what he saw with the squad during this Candon stop.
Louie Ramirez top-scored for the Philippines with 14 points on 11 attacks and three blocks, while Joshua Magalaman stayed consistent, breaching double digits once against with 12 points built on eight attacks, three blocks, and one ace.
This marked the lone triumph of the home squad in the competition presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), and Candon City Mayor Eric Singson.
The second leg of SEA V Cup is scheduled for next week, July 22-26, in Jakarta, Indonesia.