Alas Pilipinas put up a strong fight but ultimately fell short against Osaka Bluteon, losing 27-29, 23-25, 12-25, in the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals on Saturday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Japanese Olympian and Filipino fan favorite Yuji Nishida led Osaka with 15 points, 14 of which came from powerful attacks. One of his strikes momentarily stunned the crowd when it hit Alas Pilipinas hitter Jade Disquitado in the groin. Disquitado, however, quickly recovered and went on to score a team-high 11 points. Buds Buddin also contributed 10 points for Alas Pilipinas, which briefly led 19-15 in the second set before losing momentum.
Osaka Bluteon, a powerhouse from Japan’s V.League, relied heavily on its foreign reinforcements to secure the win. Six-foot-6 American Thomas John Jaeschke tallied 10 points, all from attacks, while 6-foot-2 Cuban Miguel Angel Lopez Castro added six points, including three aces. Lopez’s back-to-back service winners helped Osaka establish a dominant 18-8 lead in the third set.
Despite the loss, Alas Pilipinas head coach Angiolino Frigoni expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, acknowledging the challenge of maintaining focus against a high-level opponent. “I am pretty happy with what we did today. To play against this level, the level of attention must always be very high, and we are not able to sustain it for long,” Frigoni said.
Nishida also praised Alas Pilipinas for their effort but noted their inconsistency. “Sometimes they’re very good. I hope in the next match, we’ll play at a higher level,” he remarked.
The two teams are set to face off again on Sunday at 6 p.m. in what promises to be another thrilling encounter.
THE Alas Pilipinas Men battled hard in a nip and tuck contest before losing steam to bow to Osaka Bluteon, 27-29, 23-25, 12-25, Saturday in the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Japanese Olympian and Filipino fan favorite Yuji Nishida had a match-leading 15 points for Osaka, 14 from attacks including one that left the crowd stunned for a while as the fireball appeared to hit Alas Pilipinas hitter Jade Disquitado in the groin.
Disquitado shook it off and went on to score a team-high 11, while Buds Buddin came up with 10 points for Alas Pilipinas, which led 19-15 in the second set before fading.
The Japan V. League club also utilized both foreign reinforcements to pull off the big win over Alas Pilipinas.
Six-foot-6 American Thomas John Jaeschke scored 10 points, all from attacks, and 6-foot-2 Cuban Miguel Angel Lopez Castro delivered six points from three attacks and three aces, including back-to-back service winners that gave Osaka a commanding 18-8 lead in the third.
Alas Pilipinas coach Angiolino Frigoni rued the dip in performance in the endgame, but said he is quite pleased overall.
“I am pretty happy for what we did today. To play against this level, the level of attention must be always very high. And we are not able to stay long,” Frigoni said.
Nishida also lauded Alas Pilipinas for the fine play, although he noted they can be inconsistent.
“Sometimes they’re very good. I hope in the next match we’ll play a higher level match
The two teams meet again on Sunday at 6 p.m.
