Alessandra Gwen Santos

Alas Pilipinas Men keep the momentum rolling on their side, clobbering Hyundai Capital Skywalkers in dominant fashion, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20, to finish with a clean 2-0 record on the second day of the 2025 Alas Pilipinas Invitationals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Wednesday, June 11.

Photo Courtesy of Inquirer.

The National team now hiked to a flawless 2-0 in the tournament with an earlier win against Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi on Tuesday and now dismantling the Skywalkers.

Team captain Marck Espejo asserted his command on the court, spearheading Alas with a game-high 20 points built on 17 attacks, two aces, and one block. 

“Masaya ako na nakapag-contribute ako ngayon at nanalo sa game na to,” said Espejo. 

The Filipino squad pulled ahead from a tight opening in the first frame with Louie Ramirez's midair tip, followed by a pair of errors, before captain Espejo sealed the set with a powerful back-row finish, 1-0. 

However, the visiting squad responded quickly, banking on Chan-Hong Son’s superb one-man block to push a 17-13 lead and fended off Alas’ last ditch efforts from there on to put the match at 1-all deadlock.  

After stumbling in the second frame, Alas swiftly turned the tables in the third set with mainstay Lloyd Josefat’s service ace and Ordiales’ redemption kill attack in the final moments to inch one set away from victory, 25-21.

Just as Skywalkers clawed back in the closing frame by 14-15, UAAP S8 MVP Kennedy Batas took action, firing a cross-court attack and a service ace to push a 3-0 run.

From there, the Filipinos all needed to do was hold their ground, with Espejo delivering the clutch attack en route to the match point and a costly service error from Korea's Lee Jae Hyun then sealed the 3-1 victory.

Meanwhile, Korean duo Lee Seun Jun and Lee Jae Hyun kept things going for the Skywalkers, chipping in 18 points and 14 points, respectively, as the squad remained winless in the tournament.

Alas men will return to action to finish their three-day tourney campaign in a triple winning strike on Thursday against Thailand Men's National Volleyball Team.