Alas Pilipinas’ indoor teams are bunched with regional contenders in the 20th Asian Games.
Stiff competition awaits Alas Pilipinas’ indoor volleyball teams when it competes in the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games this September.
Following the official draw held on Thursday, July 23, here’s how the bracket looks like for Alas Men and Women ahead of the competition.
Alas Women: Pool B With China and Kazakhstan
Playing in their first Asiad since 2018, Alas Women have been bunched with China and Kazakhstan in Pool A. Of the two, Kazakhstan should be familiar for the Nationals, given their recent meetings in the AVC Women’s Cup (formerly known as the AVC Challenge Cup and AVC Nations Cup).
In 2024, Kazakhstan sent Alas Pilipinas to the bronze medal match on home soil, before settling for silver against powerhouse Vietnam. A year later, the Nationals got even, cruising to a straight-sets victory to book another semifinals ticket in the regional tilt.
China, meanwhile, are the nine-time Asian Games champions, and are eyeing another three-peat. The regional powerhouse is ranked seventh in the FIVB World Rankings, only trailing Japan (world no. 6) over in Pool A. Team China also enters the Asiad fresh off the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), once again making the final round.
Alas Men: Group of Death in Pool D
One year after the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship in Manila, the challenge now for Alas Men is to break through in the Asiad. That will be easier said than done, as Alas Men are grouped in Pool D with China, Korea, and Chinese Taipei.
China are the reigning silver medalists in the Asiad — their first finals appearance since the 2006 staging in Doha. Like the women’s team, they will enter Nagoya fresh off a final round appearance in the VNL. The question now is whether or not they will be the team to end Iran’s quest for a four-peat.
Korea, meanwhile, is out for redemption. After copping silver in 2018, the regional powerhouse settled for seventh in Hangzhou. Closely trailing them are Chinese Taipei, who won bronze also in 2018, before sliding down to a 10th place finish in 2022.
Who is Playing for Alas Pilipinas?
Barring any last-minute changes, Alas Pilipinas Women will feature much of its pioneering core led by captain Jia de Guzman — a group that secured historic podium finishes in AVC-sanctioned tournaments. Given this, expect the likes of Angel Canino, Eya Laure, and Bella Belen to suit up under Japanese coach Taka Minowa.
For Alas Men, Marck Espejo and Bryan Bagunas are expected to lead the way, along with Italian mentor Angiolino Frigoni. The question now, though, is who will accompany these veterans, given Frigoni’s strong message against key absentees during Leg 1 of the SEA V Cup.
Read more about the player pool here.
Banner images from the Southeast Asian Volleyball Association on Facebook
Frequently Asked Questions
Alas Pilipinas Women was drawn into Pool B for the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. The Philippine women’s indoor volleyball squad competes against nine-time Asian Games champion China and regional contender Kazakhstan during the group stage.
Alas Pilipinas Men was placed in Pool D for the Asian Games volleyball competition. The Philippine men’s squad faces reigning silver medalist China, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei in what is considered one of the tournament’s most competitive brackets.
Japanese mentor Taka Minowa leads the Alas Pilipinas Women’s national volleyball team, while Italian head coach Angiolino Frigoni guides the Alas Pilipinas Men’s squad during their 20th Asian Games campaigns in Japan.
Veteran setter Jia de Guzman serves as captain for Alas Pilipinas Women alongside key hitters Angel Canino, Eya Laure, and Bella Belen. Outside hitters Marck Espejo and Bryan Bagunas lead the veteran core for Alas Pilipinas Men.
The 20th Asian Games volleyball competitions take place in September in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Both Philippine national volleyball programs qualified through FIVB continental rankings following performances in regional and international tournaments.
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