MANILA – Alas Pilipinas national men’s volleyball team ended their 2025 AVC Men’s Volleyball Nations Cup campaign with a 25-16, 23-25, 25-11, 25-22 victory against New Zealand on Tuesday night in Manama, Bahrain.
Filipino-American hitter Steve Rotter spearheaded the offense with 20 points as the Philippines squad maintained their 10th place finish in the competition for the third straight year.
Marck Espejo and Louie Ramirez also hit double digits with 14 markers apiece, while Peng Taguibolos added seven points.
Alas Pilipinas Men showcased their dominant offense in the first and third sets behind the trio of Rotter, Espejo, and Ramirez to establish 25-16 and 25-11 set wins, respectively.
In the fourth set, Alas Pilipinas Men were pushed to the limit by New Zealand, who rallied to within 21-22, but they responded with back-to-back hits from Espejo and another attack from Taguibolos to seal the win.
Seth Grant top scored for New Zealand with 13 points in the losing effort.
Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) head Ramon “Tatz” Suzara said that the tournament was nearly postponed as tensions escalated after the US bombed nuclear facilities in Iran.
Suzara added that Alas Pilipinas Men were already prepared to return back to the country until the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) decided to resume play for the final day of the tournament.
“Following consultations with the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Bahrain Volleyball Association, the AVC decided to proceed with the Finals as scheduled, Suzara said in a statement./PN
